New COVID-19 infections double in southeastern China, prompting restrictions

New COVID-19 infections have doubled in southeastern China prompting the country to impose new restrictions to limit the spread ahead of a weeklong national holiday that begins Oct. 1.

The National Health Commission announced the uptick in cases on Tuesday in the province of Fujian saying there were 59 new locally transmitted cases as of Monday, up from 22 cases a day earlier, Reuters reported.

The first case of the new outbreak was reported Friday in Putian city and has since spread to the city of Xiamen to the south.

Xiamen authorities told its residents they can no longer leave the city for nonessential travel, closed recreational activities and sent students to online classes, according to Reuters.

Both cities on Tuesday began testing citywide in an attempt to stop the outbreak. 

Early reported cases found patients who were infected with the highly contagious delta variant, which has caused an increase in cases across much of the world.

Throughout the pandemic, China has recorded more than 107,000 cases and more than 4,800 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Health experts contend the recorded number is an underestimation. 

The country, with the help of its own domestic vaccines, has fully vaccinated almost 70 percent of its population.