Beijing marathon postponed amid Covid-19 outbreaks in China
Beijing, Oct 25 (EFE).- The Beijing marathon has been postponed indefinitely in the wake of active Covid-19 outbreaks in 11 provinces of the country, according to Beijing Daily – the official newspaper of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee – on Monday.
Those seeking a refund due to the postponement can do so between Oct. 25 and 30, the newspaper added, citing an announcement by the organizing committee on Sunday.
The marathon, which was held for the first time in 1981, was scheduled for Oct. 31 with some 30,000 people expected to take part in it.
However, the latest Covid-19 outbreak detected in mid-October and linked to a tour group of seniors that traveled to tourist destinations in the northern Gansu and Inner Mongolia provinces, as well as the central Shaanxi province, has raised alarms in Beijing, where there are more than 20 confirmed Covid-19 cases.
The Chinese capital is preparing to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, which will be held in February amid strict preventive measures and precautions against the virus.
Wu Liangyou, deputy director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the National Health Commission, said on Sunday that the latest Covid-19 outbreak was linked to the Delta variant and the cases detected had “strong transmission power.”
Wu explained that although the source of the outbreak is still being traced it has been possible to identify the transmission chain with 106 of the 133 infections reported on Oct. 23 linked to a series of tour groups.
Some affected areas, including Shaanxi province, have already canceled tour group trips from other provinces.
The authorities have responded to these outbreaks, which have already led to a total of 190 active cases on the Chinese mainland, with their usual methods of large-scale nucleic acid tests and restrictions on movement to and from the affected cities.
This is the most serious outbreak since the one detected in July at Nanking city’s airport, which, despite affecting 15 provinces, could be contained without any deaths being recorded.
Since the start of the pandemic, 96,797 people have been infected in China, out of which 91,588 have recovered and 4,636 have died, according to the National Health Commission. EFE
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