Beijing canceling large exhibitions, events for rest of month as delta variant spreads

Beijing is canceling large exhibitions and events for the rest of August due to a rise in delta variant coronavirus cases.

One such canceled event is the annual World 5G Conference that was set to be held this weekend, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The World Robot Conference, which had been set for later this month, is waiting for orders from the government to get canceled. The event attracted 300,000 attendees in 2019.

China’s National Health Commission announced Wednesday there were 62 new nationwide coronavirus cases, with three cases confirmed to be the delta variant.

“Prevention and control of the epidemic is currently the most important priority for the entire city of Beijing, top to bottom,” the Chinese capital’s COVID-19 response team said, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

The decision comes a day after a mass coronavirus testing order was announced in Wuhan due to an outbreak of the delta variant.

The country canceled flights and baseball games after the outbreak was found to spread to 17 provinces and more than 35 cities. 

China only has 15 percent of its population fully vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The delta variant is causing renewed coronavirus restrictions around the world as cases increase in many countries. 

Major events have not been canceled in the U.S., but many venues are implementing vaccine or mask requirements or both.