AUTHORITIES in Nanjing have punished 15 officials for failing to contain the Covid-19 outbreak at the Nanjing Lukou International Airport that resulted in the virus spreading across the country.
Among those punished were a vice mayor and the head of the local health commission.
The Global Times said the Jiangsu province's party discipline watchdog announced disciplinary actions against six senior officials after an investigation into the ineffective epidemic prevention and control at the Nanjing airport.
This came after Nanjing Party authorities disciplined nine local officials over the same issue.
Among the officials punished by the Jiangsu Disciplinary Inspection Commission was Hu Wanjin, a vice mayor of Nanjing, who was given an administrative demerit for ineffective performance in his management and supervisory responsibilities for epidemic prevention and control.
Fang Zhongyou, the chief of the Nanjing Health Commission was removed from his post for poor performance and given a serious warning.
The deputy general manager of Eastern Airports Group who leads the foreign-related epidemic prevention and control work at the airport, has been put under investigation and detention for his suspected neglect of duties.
The disciplinary actions come as the Nanjing Lukou International Airport is considered to be the transmission source of the latest outbreaks in China which has spread to over 20 cities.
The disciplinary actions were applauded by many on Chinese social media on Saturday but some said it wasn't swift and severe enough, as China fights to contain the pandemic with the emergence of the Delta variant.
Officials said more people could be punished as the matter was still under investigation.
Since the first confirmed case of the outbreak was detected on July 20 at the airport, airports and customs nationwide have implemented stricter measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
In a latest measure, the Beijing Daxing International Airport announced on Saturday that it will suspend flight routes from 15 cities, including Nanjing, Yangzhou and Zhangjiajie.
Beijing has also rolled out a range of measures, especially on those returning from regions with relatively high virus transmission rates.
These include imposing restrictions on their purchase of railway tickets and air services.
In addition, if they choose to drive into the Chinese capital, they will be asked to make a U-turn and leave.
Authorities said only when medium- and high-risk regions are downgraded to low-risk or when travellers don't have a travel history to these areas over the past 14 days, can they enter Beijing.
They will also have to present a negative Covid-19 test done within 48 hours of boarding transport to return to the capital.
They will also have to inform their workplaces or families before their trip, undergo a 14-day health monitoring period and be tested again on arrival and on their seventh day in Beijing.