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Coronavirus: Guangzhou in southern China launches mass testing in 9 districts as case numbers top 2,000
- Resident in Haizhu district reports difficulties enforcing lockdown, with contact between people continuing
- Across China, authorities report 843 confirmed local cases and 6,632 asymptomatic cases, including outbreaks in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang
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Authorities in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou have launched mandatory mass testing in nine districts and extended a lockdown one of them until the weekend amid fear of a worsening in a Covid-19 outbreak in the city.
The city reached a new height in infection numbers on Tuesday, reporting 114 confirmed local cases and 2,263 asymptomatic cases. It was the third day in a row for Guangzhou to have more than 1,000 daily cases and more than two weeks since the start of this outbreak, which is being driven by the Omicron BA.5.2 strain.
Authorities said on Tuesday mass testing was required for nine districts – including Haizhu – where more than 90 per cent of the new cases were found. Haizhu also extended its lockdown to Friday.
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They also again urged residents to respect prevention measures, asking them to get tested, monitor their own health and reduce movement as much as possible.
“Currently, there is still the risk of community spread in non-risk areas, and the outbreak remains severe and complex,” Zhang Yi, deputy director of the Guangzhou health commission, said.
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But people in the area say there is still a lot of contact between people.
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