The Chinese city of Xi’an, where 13 million residents are currently confined to their homes, announced tough restrictions on Sunday as the country recorded its biggest number of Covid-19 infections in 21 months. China sticks to a “zero-Covid” strategy that includes strict border restrictions, lengthy quarantines and targeted lockdowns.
Officials have been particularly vigilant in recent months to avoid an outbreak ahead of February’s Beijing Winter Olympics, but there have been sporadic flare-ups. But on Sunday, the country reported 206 new Covid infections – the highest daily number since March 2020.
“In the coming days, many cases are still likely to be detected,” warned Xi’an official He Wenquan, noting the city’s population to panic. The northern metropolis – about 900 km (560 miles) from the Olympic venues – reported 155 new Covid patients on Sunday, raising the total to nearly 500 in the past few weeks.
He said that around 29,000 people have been kept in hotel quarantine. Officials said residents of Xi’an had already been tested several times and that “total” disinfection was to begin on Sunday evening.
Movement has also been banned. Each household can only send one member once every three days to purchase basic necessities – down from two days under the previous rules. All businesses have been ordered to close except supermarkets, convenience stores and medical facilities.
Since the coronavirus first emerged in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, China has largely kept the epidemic away. The country has officially recorded only two deaths in a year.
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