A record number of coronavirus infections in Xinjiang, the Chinese region where authorities have been accused of widespread human rights abuses, has prompted concerns the country faces another wave of the pandemic. China’s National Health Commission on Tuesday announced 64 locally transmitted Covid-19 cases, marking the country’s biggest one-day rise since March. Of those, 57 were found in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital. In the past two weeks, 280 cases have been confirmed nationwide. The latest outbreak in China – where Covid-19 was first reported earlier this year – comes as countries across the region suffer resurgences in infections.
Vietnam on Tuesday temporarily closed the coastal city of Danang and evacuated 80,000 tourists after finding a cluster of infections. The country had previously reported no new coronavirus cases for months. Hong Kong this week introduced its toughest lockdown restrictions in response to its worst outbreak yet, while parts of Australia and Japan are again struggling to contain the virus. The latest outbreaks could also provide a test for Beijing’s tough approach to the pandemic. Unlike some countries that have sought to only slow Covid-19’s spread, China has tried to eliminate the virus within its borders.
Since late March when China first reported zero locally transmitted cases, new infections have been met with sweeping lockdowns and contact tracing and testing. But multiple small clusters of cases continue to appear.
Ben Cowling, a scholar at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health, said recurrences of coronavirus in Asia were inevitable as governments eased restrictions. “SinceVietnam, Xinjiang and Dalian are not under lockdown, the virus will have an opportunity to spread,” he said.