New COVID-19 infections more than doubled in China's southeastern Fujian province, prompting officials to quickly roll out measures including travel restrictions to halt the spread of the virus.
The National Health Commission on Tuesday said 59 new locally transmitted cases were reported for September 13, up from 22 infections a day earlier.
In just four days, a total of 102 community infections have been reported in three Fujian cities, including Xiamen, a tourist and transport hub with a population of 5 million, according to a Reuters report.
The infections come ahead of the week-long National Day holiday starting on Oct. 1, a major tourist season. The last domestic outbreak in late July to August disrupted travel, hitting the tourism, hospitality and transportion sectors.
Fujian's outbreak began in Putian, a city of 3.2 million, with the first case reported on Sept. 10. Preliminary tests on samples from some Putian cases showed patients had contracted the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The virus has since spread south to Xiamen, which reported 32 new cases of community transmission for Sept. 13 compared with just one infection a day earlier.
