China imposes fresh lockdowns as COVID-19 cases surge
Ahead of a significant Communist Party gathering in Beijing the following week, Chinese localities have started to implement new lockdowns and travel restrictions after the number of daily COVID-19 cases increased during a weeklong break.
According to official broadcaster CCTV, the most recent lockdown was announced on Monday in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi’s Fenyang city after a positive case was found during citywide testing the day before.
Two districts in Shanghai, where locals had to suffer protracted lockdowns earlier this year, announced the closure of theatres and other entertainment venues on Monday in response to the most recent threat.
The neighbouring Inner Mongolian region’s capital Hohhot declared Tuesday to be the last day for vehicles and passengers to access the city.
In little than a fortnight, the city recorded more than 2,000 new COVID cases. Shanghai sees the start of China’s biggest COVID-19 lockdown in two years.
After several days of uncertainty, China started its greatest mass testing shutdown in two years on Monday in an effort to stop a new COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, the country’s largest city.
Authorities urged citizens to stay within their towns as the number of daily new cases increased since the start of the holiday on October 1.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 outbreaks have been documented across the nation, with Inner Mongolia and the remote Xinjiang area seeing the highest rates of disease dissemination. Several hundred new cases have been reported each day in both locations.
Many Chinese now routinely take free COVID-19 tests several times per week, and Beijing, the country’s capital, and several other cities now require a negative test result within 72 hours to enter parks, office buildings, stores, and other public locations.
China imposes fresh lockdowns as COVID-19 cases surge
According to international standards, the number of COVID-19 cases in China as of late is not very large. Beijing, however, adheres to a stringent zero-COVID policy, which requires that any outbreak of the illness be stopped right away.
China criticized “baseless charges” against its stringent zero-COVID policy earlier this year, stating that its plan has been indisputable effective in containing and eradicating COVID-19 dangerous disease throughout the Asian country.
