New turn of the screw in China as the Olympic Games approach.
The country on Friday canceled hundreds of air flights, closed schools and suspended tourist activities after the discovery in Shanghai of cases of Covid-19.
A few months before the Olympic Games which will begin in Beijing on February 4, the country wants to limit at all costs the risks of contamination and practices a health policy that aims for "zero infection".
This policy results in a drastic limitation of entries into its territory, compulsory quarantines, confinements and massive screening as soon as a few cases appear.
Travel is also strictly monitored by mobile applications, which allows contact cases to be identified quickly.
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Three friends, who had traveled together around Shanghai last week, tested positive for Covid-19, local authorities said Thursday.
All were already vaccinated.
To avoid any transmission of the virus to other regions, more than 500 flights were canceled Friday from the two airports in the Chinese economic capital, according to the specialized site VariFlight.
The Shanghai Municipality has also suspended all tourist group travel to the nearby city of Suzhou, where the three infected people had traveled.
Suzhou, with a population of around 13 million, is famous for its canals and imperial gardens.
The city has closed its tourist sites and now requires a negative test for people wishing to go to another locality.
In the greater Shanghai area, a university campus has been quarantined in Hangzhou after a contact case was identified among staff, state press reported.
About ten new cases
China on Friday reported 13 new cases of Covid-19 on its territory the day before.
Despite this record, which is beyond comparison with the rest of the world, the authorities are on the alert to curb an outbreak limited in number but which has spread to many provinces.
The Beijing Winter Olympics will take place in a “bubble” which will separate athletes from the rest of the population.
The 3,000 or so athletes expected will either have to be vaccinated or undergo a three-week quarantine upon arrival.
They will then have to undergo daily screening.
