China’s Covid-19 Delta outbreak prompts postponement of Beijing marathon
- Organisers hope the delay to the October 31 event will help to prevent the disease spreading ahead of Winter Olympics
- Announcement followed last-minute cancellation of a similar race in Wuhan which was expected to take place on Sunday
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China reported 39 new domestic infections on Monday, in an outbreak spread by a travelling group of tourists in the latest test of the country’s zero-tolerance approach with just over 100 days until the start of the Games.
Organisers of the Beijing marathon said the run would be postponed until further notice “to prevent the risk of the epidemic spreading (and) effectively protect the health and safety of the majority of runners, staff and residents.” Some 30,000 people were expected to take part in the race on October 31.
Coronavirus: northern China battens down to contain outbreaks
Authorities have been racing to contain virus infections via mass testing of residents and targeted lockdowns, as the outbreak spreads to 11 provinces. Health officials have said the spate of domestic infections involve a strain of the Delta variant from abroad.
The Wuhan event was expected to have 26,000 participants taking part in races including full and half marathons, in the city where the new coronavirus was first identified towards the end of 2019.
With the latest clusters linked to tourism across the country, authorities on Sunday announced the suspension of cross-provincial tour groups in five areas where cases have been detected, including Beijing.
Some cities, including Gansu’s provincial capital of Lanzhou, and parts of Inner Mongolia have suspended bus and taxi services and closed tourism sites.
Beijing will on Wednesday mark 100 days before the Winter Olympics, which are set to open on February 4.
