Urumqi imposes COVID-19 travel restrictions to fight virus

Authorities imposed travel restrictions on Thursday on people coming in and out of Urumqi, the capital of China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus there.

The city has been at the center of the new wave of infections on China’s mainland, accounting for 96 of 105 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported on Wednesday.

Non-residents seeking to leave the city will have to test negative in both nucleic acid and antibody tests before they can leave if they have been in the city for 14 days or more, Vice Mayor Song Yajun said during a daily briefing. He added that residents should not leave Urumqi unless necessary.

Urumqi will also mandate 14-day quarantine for people arriving in the city from high-risk COVID-19 areas, Song said. Others entering the city will need to show proof of a negative test within the past seven days, among other requirements, which vary depending on where they are coming from.

The number of new cases in China is still well below the peaks seen in February, but the resurgence underscores the challenge in stamping out the disease. China on Thursday also ordered local authorities to carry out regular coronavirus tests at wholesale markets.