China’s largest COVID-19 outbreak in a year has forced authorities to impose new restrictions to fight the infection. Together with the spread of the coronavirus, these measures will slow down the country’s economic growth.

At the end of July, the “delta” strain of COVID-19 spread across China, quickly overtaking more than half of the 34 provinces and causing about a thousand confirmed cases of the disease. Consequently, the authorities again put into operation a strategy to contain the infection. Several cities are closed again for lockdown, flights are canceled, entertainment venues have ceased operations, and foreign trade has been suspended. The country has launched mass testing for coronavirus.