More transport suspended in Hebei cities

Shijiazhuang in Hebei province has suspended more major transport links with outside places to lower infection risks as the city reported the biggest rise in daily COVID-19 cases since the new outbreak occurred at the weekend.

It reported 50 confirmed cases on Thursday, among 51 in Hebei, and 52 in the Chinese mainland.

As of Thursday, Shijiazhuang has a total of 83 confirmed cases, after it reported COVID-19 cases for five consecutive days since Sunday.

Many flights to and from Shijiazhuang have been canceled since Thursday morning, according to authorities in Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport.

The airport is less than 10 kilometers away from Gaocheng district, the only high-risk area for infection in Chinese mainland. Most cases in Shijiazhuang are centered in the district.

Shijiazhuang Railway Station, the biggest station in the city, has stopped passengers from taking trains to leave, according to a notice by the city's security bureau.

Train tickets departing Shijiazhuang were also stopped earlier. Tickets can be refunded without extra fees charged.

Xingtai, another city in Hebei, which also has reported confirmed cases in recent days, suspended six buses on Thursday. It already stopped 20 buses on Wednesday, according to the city's public transport company.

Before Thursday, cross-city buses, shuttle buses between the airport to its downtown center and neighboring areas, as well as expressways had been suspended.

Hebei reported 51 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 69 asymptomatic carriers on Thursday, all locally transmitted, bringing its total of recently confirmed cases to 90 and local asymptomatic carriers to 144, according to the Health Commission of Hebei.

Among the newly reported confirmed cases, 50 are in Shijiazhuang, Hebei's capital city, with two coming from asymptomatic carriers reported before. And another confirmed case is in Xingtai city, also arising from a previously asymptomatic result.