China fights its worst Covid-19 outbreak, around 19 crore people in 23 cities now under full or partial lockdowns

Authorities across China, which have mostly managed to keep the virus at bay for the last two years, are stepping up Covid-19 control measures, including movement restrictions, mass testing and new quarantine centres. (Photo: Reuters)

 

According to a report, 23 Chinese cities have implemented either full or partial lockdowns due to Covid-19 cases.

 

The cities collectively are home to an estimated 19.3 crore people and contribute 22% of China's GDP. These include Changchun, a major manufacturing hub that has been locked down for 28 days. (Photo: Reuters)

 

Shanghai, the global financial hub and China's biggest city, has become the epicentre of Covid-19 cases in the country. It recorded around 21,000 new infections and a third consecutive day of Covid-19 testing as a lockdown of its 26 million people showed no sign of easing. 

 

Shanghai has now reported over 1,14,000 cases since the latest wave of outbreaks started on March 1, recording more infections in a month than the previous two years combined. (Photo: Reuters)

 

Shanghai's outbreak has now surpassed 1,30,000 cases in total, far exceeding the approximately 50,000 symptomatic cases recorded in the original outbreak in the central city of Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in late 2019.

 

The outbreak in Shanghai, caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19, has become so serious that China has already rushed thousands of personnel from various medical services of the military to the city to help fight the virus. (Photo: Reuters)

Beijing has strengthened regular screening for employees in the city's key sectors, requiring all staff at elderly care agencies, schools and institutions handling imported goods to take tests at least once a week. (Photo: Reuters)

 

Cities that sprang into action this week include Zhengzhou, in central Henan province, which on Thursday said it would test all 12.6 million residents after finding a few asymptomatic cases. 

 

In Shizong county in southwest China's Yunnan province, shops are shut, transport is suspended and residents are barred from leaving their towns or villages. (Photo: Reuters)