Latest world news brief today, August 16

Covid-19 cases in China continue to rise as some sudden lockdown measures create problems for residents Hainan health authorities said the southern island province reported 1,211 local Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, of which 783 cases were identified in Sanya, where some 80,000 tourists were forced to remain in the city in response to a sudden lockdown. Sanya airport said in a statement on Monday that it would resume “domestic commercial operation” from August 15. Travelers can conditionally buy plane tickets if they meet certain covid-screening policies, according to the statement. In response to the spread of covid-19 on the island, Hainan authorities fired six local officials on Sunday night for “inaction and lack of responsibility in handling the outbreak.” In the eastern Chinese city of Shanghai, an Ikea store was suddenly closed on Saturday after local authorities identified a close contact of Covid-19 at the location. Many customers tried to escape from the store when the closure was announced. At a press conference on Sunday, Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the Shanghai Health Commission, said the “store and affected area” would be under “closed-loop” management for two days. People inside the circuit must undergo two days of quarantine in a government facility and five days of health surveillance. In response to CNN’s query, Ikea Shanghai confirmed on Monday that its Xuhui store was temporarily closed on August 14 and 15 due to “authorities’ epidemic prevention guidelines.” According to the emailed statement, the Ikea store would resume operations on Tuesday. Shanghai reported 3 local cases of covid-19 on Tuesday, all asymptomatic, according to the city’s Health Commission. China’s Covid-19 figures rise slightly on Tuesday, with 2,368 locally transmitted Covid-19 cases reported by the country’s National Health Commission. Sporadic cases of covid-19 have also been discovered across the country. On Tuesday, a total of 17 Chinese provinces reported new local broadcasts.