BEIJING, (Reuters) – Cities across China have imposed stricter controls to stop new COVID-19 outbreaks. Tianjin is currently fighting the Omicron variant of COVID-19 which is highly contagious and has been found in at least two provinces.

Officials from Tianjin said Tuesday that there had been 49 confirmed cases during this latest outbreak. This city, home to 14 million residents, lies 100km (62 mi) away from Beijing. It is currently implementing strict new measures to prevent the coronavirus spreading to neighboring Beijing.

This outbreak was linked to the cases that occurred in Anyang, a central Chinese province in Henan. There have been 84 confirmed infected since Saturday.

Tianjin residents will have to take negative COVID-19 test results, and there will be 279 checkpoints in the area.

China’s Omicron spike occurs weeks before the Lunar New Year. It is the peak travel time period for many millions. Many cities in China have advised people to stay put while Beijing gets ready to host the Winter Olympics.

Zhang Boli was a state medical advisor who said that Omicron should not be considered lightly, even though the symptoms may seem less severe than previous versions.

China ordered cancellation of over two dozen flights scheduled from America after many passengers were positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in China.

In an interview aired late Monday on state TV, Zhang Ying (an official at Tianjin’s disease control center) stated that Omicron was very fast when they confronted it directly.

She said that the Omicron variant presented unprecedented challenges and problems, whether it be in epidemiological or virus origin tracing.

LOCALLY TRANSMITTED

Tianjin confirmed the Omicron locally-transmitted cases at the weekend. Zhang reported that infected persons were identified in just 24 hours.

In an effort to stop this virus from spreading, the city has placed travel restrictions.

China has reported 192 coronavirus new cases nationwide for January 10, an increase of 157 from the previous day. 110 cases of coronavirus were reported locally, compared to 97 the day prior.

A statement from the National Health Commission stated that there were 87 such cases in Henan, a province with high population.

Local officials said that Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, has closed non-essential public facilities such as beauty salons. They also banned eating in restaurants and prohibited taxis from operating within quarantined zones.

Anyang, the Henan representative confirmed Monday that two new Henan cases are part of Tianjin’s Omicron transmission network. The number of Omicron-related cases that are being investigated in Henan is not known.

On Monday, a separate Omicron infection occurred in Wuxi (Jiangsu Province), 120km (75 mi) away from Shanghai. Before transferring to Wuxi, the patient had traveled from Australia to Shanghai on January 5.

The Lunar New Year is fast approaching and other regions also have no choice but to prepare.

On Tuesday, authorities in Shenzhen shut down a subway station and warned residents against buying goods from countries of high risk.

Hainan is a tourist hot spot in the southeast. To be allowed to enter, visitors must pass a COVID-19 negative test.

China also reported 50 new cases of asymptomatic disease on Monday. It separates confirmed and unconfirmed cases.

The death toll stood at 4,636. At Jan. 10, there were still 103 968 confirmed cases in China.