Chinese COVID-19 outbreak linked to mahjong parlors, testing sites

Chinese media this week announced that a serious COVID-19 outbreak has been linked to mahjong parlors and coronavirus testing sites.

Fifty-four cases of the virus were confirmed on Wednesday in the city of Yangzhou, raising the case total to 448 following a July outbreak that spread from an international airport in Nanjing, according to The Associated Press.

The new cases were found to be partly linked to a 64-year-old woman who tested positive for the virus and made trips to multiple mahjong parlors after returning from Nanjing, the AP noted.

Dozens of other people were also reportedly infected with the virus at a testing site near Yangzhou.

China has implemented strict rules for testing and mask-wearing, but some sites in Beijing and other places in the country have still experienced crowding and little social distancing.

China has seen more than 94,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 4,636 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began in 2019. About 1,789 COVID-19 patients are currently in treatment, according to the AP.