Fujian Reports 21 Covid Cases, Delta A Possibility

Mainland authorities have classified Fengting town in Fujian as a high-risk area after the province reported 21 Covid cases since Friday. The outbreak appears to be linked to the highly-infectious delta variant.

The provincial health commission said the 21 confirmed cases had been locally-transmitted in Fujian, mainly in Xianyou county. The Covid response headquarters there has banned large gatherings and advised residents to work from home and wear masks on public transport.

Indoor entertainment venues have also been ordered to close, while the number of customers at supermarkets has been restricted.

Meanwhile, the city government of Putian - a prefecture level city that has jurisdiction over Xianyou - says preliminary results from viral genome sequencing of 19 of the cases pointed to the strains as being the highly infectious delta variant.

(with additional reporting from Xinhua)