Beijing, 23 August 2021 (dpa/MIA) — About a month after the start of the worst outbreak of the coronavirus in China in a year, no more local transmissions were reported for the first time on Monday. According to the health authorities in Beijing, there were only 21 cases brought in from abroad on Sunday. In the outbreak with the particularly contagious delta variant, more than 1,000 people in almost 50 cities were infected. According to the authorities, the outbreak was traced back to a Russian aircraft in the eastern Chinese metropolis of Nanjing, in which airport employees had become infected. The delta variant poses a challenge to China's strict zero-Covid policy. However, with drastic measures such as curfews, contact tracing, mass testing among millions, quarantine and the interruption of transport links, the authorities were able to stop the spread again. The first coronavirus infections worldwide were discovered in the People's Republic at the end of 2019. However, the virus has been largely under control there for a year. Strict entry restrictions still apply: Anyone who is allowed to enter the country at all must spend three weeks in a quarantine facility – regardless of vaccination and negative coronavirus tests.