Coronavirus: Chinese cities tell residents to stay home as Covid-19 cases spike after rules relaxed
- Some blocks in Beijing’s Chaoyang district are under lockdown, while hardest-hit Guangzhou continues mass tests to beat fierce outbreak
- China’s top leadership has urged a more ‘targeted and precise’ approach to the zero-Covid policy but local governments must also keep case numbers down
China, which is battling its strongest Covid-19 wave in six months, reported 24,263 cases on Saturday, more than a third of those in the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou.
Residents had been urged not to leave the Chaoyang unless necessary and to remain at home over the weekend, district deputy head Yang Beibei said on Friday.
“Occasional ‘staying at home’ is to cut off the transmission chain … as soon as possible, curb the spread of the epidemic, and protect public safety and health,” Yang said.
Some areas in Chaoyang have banned dine-in services, shut down public venues, suspended gatherings, and made negative test results mandatory for leaving the district between Friday and Sunday, according to a government notice.
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District authorities have also advised residents to only commute between their home and workplace, if remote work was not possible.