Coronavirus: China has isolated a city of 11 million inhabitants …

As coronavirus cases increase in different parts of the world, China has decided to restrict mobility in the city of Shijiazhuang, made up of 11 million inhabitants, with the aim of eradicating an epidemic of Covid-19.

Ten of the main highways which lead to the city located in the north of the country, about 300 kilometers south of Beijing, were closed and a bus station was also closed, in an attempt to prevent the virus from spreading outside this city in Hebei Province.

So far, 117 cases have been recorded in the city, of which 63 were announced on Wednesday. Of that total, 78 are asymptomatic cases, which has led to massive testing throughout the affected area.

In contrast, health authorities in Guangdong province have reported a case linked to the variant of the virus first discovered in South Africa. According to the provincial center for disease control and prevention there, the variant was detected in a South African pilot who entered the province in December and tested positive for covid-19.

Also, a few days ago the country confirmed its first case of another strain of the virus, detected in the UK, which is of concern because both variants are highly infectious.

China is one of the few countries that has largely succeeded in controlling the virus with strict lockdowns and travel restrictions. However, in recent weeks, local outbreaks have been detected, which has led to selective closings and the need for massive testing.

One of its districts, Gaocheng, is considered “high risk” and has been isolated. This sector of 40,000 inhabitants is the only territory in the country under this label, while all schools have been closed.