But the latest outbreak, linked to an outbreak in Nanjing where nine cleaning workers at an international airport tested positive on July 20, caused more than 360 cases in the past two weeks.
It was not immediately clear if Nanjing was the source of all the infections, as some authorities have yet to reveal the result of their virus-tracking efforts.
In Zhangjiajie, a tourist destination known for its forest park, an outbreak emerged last month among theater patrons, who then brought the virus home across the country.
The authorities are urgently searching for people who have recently traveled from Nanjing or Zhangjiajie, and urged tourists not to visit areas where cases were detected.
The emergence of the variant, which is more transmissible than the original strain first detected in the city of Wuhan in late 2019, prompted the return of tough anti-epidemic measures.
Experts from the China Center for Disease Control said Saturday that the country’s prevention measures are still “effective” in curbing outbreaks.
Experts assure that the vaccination rate and accumulated experience in prevention will prevent a large-scale outbreak throughout the country.
China’s overall economy is not invulnerable. It grew more slowly than expected in April-June, due to persistently high commodity prices, cautious consumer spending and a weak housing market.
“The Delta variant is the biggest test of China’s zero COVID strategy since the initial outbreak last year,” said Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics. “But given the country’s track record in dealing with the virus so far, we assume they will quell the outbreak before it gets out of control. Of course, doing so will come at some financial cost.”
With information from AFP, EFE and Reuters