Photo:VCG

South China's Zhuhai in Guangdong Province,which borders Macao, reported seven locally-transmitted Omicron cases on Friday, making it the second city in the Chinese mainland to be hit by the Omicron variant after Tianjin. Zhuhai has canceled all flights to Beijing, and several nearby cities suspended expressway or waterway routes to Zhuhai.

Large-scale nucleic acid tests to several towns and communities in Zhuhai found seven COVID-19 positive cases on Friday, and preliminary gene sequencing results showed the virus was the Omicron variant, the Zhuhai government announced on Friday night. Among the seven positive cases, one was symptomatic and the rest were asymptomatic.

The symptomatic case was a 53-year-old woman who is a child care worker at a kindergarten in Nanping township, and has had her booster jab. She went to a vegetable market in Zhongshan on January 8. Two residential buildings in Nanping township and other key areas were placed under closed management. 

The nucleic acid testing in Zhuhai was carried out after Zhongshan, a neighboring city of Zhuhai, reported one locally-transmitted case on Wednesday. The infection source found in Zhongshan remains unknown. 

On Friday, Zhuhai canceled all flights to Beijing, and those who need to leave Zhuhai have to present negative results of nucleic acid testing within 24 hours and a green health code. 

Following Zhuhai's resurgence, Macao announced on Friday that its passenger port with Wanzai port in Zhuhai has suspended service.

Guangzhou suspended expressway travel linking Zhuhai on Friday, and Shenzhen suspended its waterway route from Shekou to Jiuzhou port in Zhuhai on Friday.

Zhuhai's Omicron infection was reported when North China's Tianjin was battling against the Omicron variant, Chinese mainland's first city hit by the variant. As of Friday, Tianjin reported 142 cases.  

Global Times