China fights new clusters as US death toll soars

China sealed off two cities and imposed travel restrictions on 18 million people yesterday in an effort to eliminate fresh coronavirus clusters, as the United States reported a record number of deaths from the disease. 

Authorities in the two cities south of Beijing cut transport links and instituted mass testing after 127 infections were recorded in the region over the past week.

They joined Australia's third-largest city in taking an ultra-cautious approach to the pandemic, with Brisbane announcing a lockdown over a single infection.

The responses to the relatively small outbreaks contrasted sharply with the chaos surrounding runaway infection figures in many other parts of the world.

The United States reported a daily record on Thursday with nearly 4,000 deaths, while the toll in Brazil hit 200,000.

Many countries in east Asia however have managed to deal with outbreaks more effectively, and China yesterday moved to contain its largest cluster in six months with its usual tight restrictions.

The northern cities of Shijiazhuang and Xingtai, home to more than five million people, were effectively sealed off.

Long-distance passenger vehicle transport in both cities was suspended as of yesterday, and highways were closed. Flights to and from Shijiazhuang were cancelled, and trains suspended.

Orders to remain in their local areas were placed on everyone in Shijiazhuang and Xingtai, as well as surrounding regions.

The lockdown in Brisbane comes a day after Japan announced a month-long state of emergency to deal with its latest surge in infections, sowing doubt about the viability of the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Around the world, there are few signs of the virus abating, with nearly 1.9 million people known to have died worldwide and 87 million confirmed cases.

Travellers arriving in England and Scotland will soon be required to show negative coronavirus tests, officials said yesterday, as they try to curb the spread of new strains.

The UK government had previously argued against the requirement, which has already been introduced in other countries, saying quarantining of those arriving from high-risk countries was more effective.

Now international travellers arriving in England will be required to present a negative Covid-19 test taken within the last 72 hours, the Department of Transport said.

The measures, which also apply to British nationals, will come into effect from early next week. Passengers who do not comply with the regulations face a £500 ($678, €552) fine.