The numbers are small, but the major port of Tianjin may be facing China’s first local outbreak of omicron of any size, less than a month before the Winter Olympics open in nearby Beijing. State broadcaster CCTV said the government has divided Tianjin and its 14 million residents into three levels of restrictions, starting with lockdown areas where people are not allowed to leave their homes at all. In control areas, each household is allowed to have one family member leave to buy groceries every other day, while in prevention areas, people must remain inside their immediate neighborhoods. Buses and trains from Tianjin to Beijing have been suspended and people are being told not to leave the city unless they have pressing business. The city began mass testing of all its residents on Sunday after a cluster of 41 children and adults tested positive for COVID-19, including at least two with the omicron variant. Officials said the virus has been circulating so the number of cases could rise. China has stepped up its strict zero tolerance strategy in the runup to the Olympics, which open Feb. 4. The Chinese capital is 115 kilometers (70 miles) northwest of Tianjin and many people regularly travel back and forth by car or on a high-speed rail link that takes less than one hour. Read: China orders lockdown of up to 13 million people in Xi’an Elsewhere, millions of people are being confined to their homes in Xi’an and Yuzhou, two cities that are farther away but have larger outbreaks traced to the delta variant. Residents of Xi’an have been under lockdown for more than two weeks, but the number of new cases in the city of 13 million fell to just 15 on Monday in a sign that restrictions could soon be lifted. Another 60 cases were reported Monday in Henan province, two of them of the omicron variant, found in the city of Anyang and apparently brought from Tianjin by a college student on Dec. 28, state media outlet The Paper reported. The provincial capital of Zhengzhou has been conducting mass testing and closed its schools. Another 24 cases were reported in the city on Monday. The first two cases confirmed in Tianjin were a 10-year-old girl and a 29-year-old woman working at an after-school center. Both were infected by the omicron variant. In subsequent testing of close contacts, 18 others tested positive and 767 tested negative as of Saturday night. Those infected include 15 students from 8 to 13 years old, the after-school center staff member and four parents. The citywide testing is to be completed over two days. Tianjin has also closed some subway stations on two lines to try to prevent further spread. Read: Netherlands 'going into lockdown again' to curb omicron China had reported about a dozen omicron cases previously, most among people who had arrived from abroad and were isolated. In one case in mid-December, the infection was not detected until after the person had completed two weeks of quarantine, and it spread to a few close contacts in the southern city of Guangzhou.

Bangladesh on Tuesday recorded over 5,000 new coronavirus cases for the second straight day, signalling a tough fight ahead for the country as people are still reluctant about following basic health guidelines. With 5,042 new cases in a 24-hour period until morning, the caseload rose to 605,937, according to a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Meanwhile, the coronavirus fatalities climbed to 8,994 with 45 more deaths recorded until morning. Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month. The DGHS said the infection rate jumped to 18.94 percent from 18.38 percent on Monday when Bangladesh recorded its highest-ever single day case count (5,181). During the 24-hour period, 2,162 coronavirus patients recovered, taking the total number of recovered patients to 540,180. The government has ramped up testing, intensified vaccination campaign and efforts to ensure that the people properly follow health guidelines and hygiene rules. So far, 4,643,645 samples have been tested – including 26,620 in the last 24 hours, the DGHS said. Dhaka sees highest Covid deaths The mortality rate slipped slightly to 1.48 percent on Tuesday. Among the deceased, 37 people died in Dhaka division, three in Chattogram, two in Rajshahi, two in Khulna and one in Sylhet. So far, 5,118 coronavirus patients died in Dhaka division, 1,631 in Chattogram, 501 in Rajshahi, 579 in Khulna, 273 in Barishal, 318 in Sylhet, 373 in Rangpur and 201 in Mymensingh.

The Health Ministry has proposed partial lockdowns for some places with higher Coronavirus transmission rates, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said Monday. “Our daily infection rate was only 2 percent in February which has now shot up to 13 percent as the number of fatalities and infection rises daily,” he said at a virtual event of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease and Hospital. Also read:3,000 more hospital beds to be ready for Covid patients: Minister Coronavirus infection rate jumped to 18.38 percent on Monday from 17.65 percent on Sunday. In the afternoon, the health authorities announced the country’s highest-ever daily cases (5,181) as the caseload rose to 600,895. Bangladesh also reported 45 deaths, raising the national tally to 8,949, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in a handout. “Bangladesh’s economy might face dire consequences if we fail to control the origin of Covid-19 and contain it,” the minister warned. The Health Ministry has submitted some proposals to the government considering all these issues, Maleque said.    Partial lockdown, closure of amusement centres, picnic, religious gatherings, limiting wedding ceremonies, strengthening quarantine system, limiting passengers in public transports, and limiting attendance in offices are some of the recommendations. The ministry also proposed ensuring ‘no mask no service’ policy, increasing numbers of mobile courts and imposing fines on health guideline violators. Also read:Covid-19 situation under control in Bangladesh: Health Minister “A detailed decision on the matter can hopefully be taken within several days,” the minister said. ‘No lockdown at the moment’ The country launched a countrywide vaccination drive on Feb 7. As the daily infection rate kept rising, the government extended the closure of school and colleges until May 23.