Chinese province closes tourist sites following virus cases

BEIJING (AP) — A northwestern Chinese province heavily dependent on tourism has closed all tourist sites after finding new COVID-19 cases. Gansu lies along the ancient Silk Road and is famed for the Dunhuang grottoes filled with Buddhist images and other religious sites. China counted 35 new cases Monday, four of them in Gansu. China maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward the pandemic, using lockdowns, quarantines and compulsory testing to eliminate the virus. The spread of the delta variant by travelers is of particular concern ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February. Overseas spectators already are banned and participants will have to stay in a bubble.