China seals off city as worst coronavirus outbreak in a year grows

People wearing face masks to help protect against COVID-19 walk through a subway station during the morning rush hour in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. China’s worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic a year and a half ago escalated Wednesday with dozens more cases around the country, the sealing-off of one city and the punishment of its local leaders. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

China’s worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic has escalated with dozens more cases around the country, the sealing-off of one city and the punishment of its local leaders.

Since the initial outbreak was tamed last year, China’s people had lived virtually free of the virus, with strict border controls and local distancing and quarantine measures stamping out scattered flare-ups.