Begin typing your search above and press return to search.
proflie-avatar
Login
exit_to_app
Can Trump wield his big stick?
access_time 22 Nov 2024 10:39 AM GMT
election commmission
access_time 22 Nov 2024 4:02 AM GMT
Champions Trophy tournament
access_time 21 Nov 2024 5:00 AM GMT
The illness in health care
access_time 20 Nov 2024 5:00 AM GMT
The fire in Manipur should be put out
access_time 21 Nov 2024 9:19 AM GMT
America should also be isolated
access_time 18 Nov 2024 11:57 AM GMT
DEEP READ
Munambam Waqf issue decoded
access_time 16 Nov 2024 5:18 PM GMT
Ukraine
access_time 16 Aug 2023 5:46 AM GMT
Foreign espionage in the UK
access_time 22 Oct 2024 8:38 AM GMT
exit_to_app
Homechevron_rightWorldchevron_rightChina places 1.7...

China places 1.7 million under lockdown amid fresh Covid-19 surge

text_fields
bookmark_border
China places 1.7 million under lockdown amid fresh Covid-19 surge
cancel

Beijing: Beijing has imposed a lockdown of 1.7 million people under lockdown in central Anhui province, where authorities reported nearly 300 new cases Monday.

This comes amid a string of outbreaks testing Beijing's no-tolerance approach to COVID-19.

The outbreak in Anhui -- where officials first found hundreds of cases last week -- comes as the Chinese economy begins to rebound from a months-long lockdown in Shanghai and disruptive Covid restrictions in the capital Beijing.

Two counties in the province -- Sixian and Lingbi -- announced lockdowns last week, with more than 1.7 million residents only permitted to leave their homes if they are getting tested.

Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed empty streets in Sixian over the weekend and people lining up for their sixth round of mass testing in recent days.

The province reported 287 new infections on Monday, including 258 people who had no symptoms, according to China's National Health Commission, bringing the total cases found to just over 1,000.

Provincial governor Wang Qingxian urged local authorities to "seize every minute and earnestly implement quick screening" as well as rapid quarantine and reporting of cases, in a statement published by the Anhui government on Monday.

Neighbouring Jiangsu province also reported 56 new local infections across four cities on Monday.

While cases remain low relative to China's vast population, officials insist the zero-Covid policy is necessary to prevent a healthcare calamity, pointing to unevenly distributed medical resources and low vaccination rates among the elderly.

But the strategy has hammered the world's second-largest economy and heavy-handed enforcement has triggered rare protests in the tightly controlled country.

China's international isolation has also prompted some foreign businesses and families with the financial means to make exit plans.

National authorities announced a reduced quarantine requirement for international arrivals last month, rallying most Asian markets as investors hoped the move could provide a boost for Beijing's Covid-slumped economy.

But health official Lei Zhenglong has insisted the new quarantine policy was "absolutely not a loosening of (Covid) prevention and control".

Show Full Article
TAGS:COVID19China
Next Story