Amid a surge in Covid cases, neighbouring China has decided to impose a lockdown in the city of Changchun, which inhibits around 9 million residents as it faces a fresh spike in Covid-19 cases.
Under the lockdown norms, people have been advised to stay at home, and only one family member can go out to buy food and other necessary items every two days. To ensure everyone gets tested for Covid-related symptoms, the Chinese government has ordered the local residents to undergo three rounds of mass testing.
All kinds of non-essential businesses have been ordered to stay shut; transport services suspended.
The Chinese government has also imposed a lockdown in Yucheng, a city of 5 lakh people in the eastern province of Shandong.
China on Friday reported 397 Covid cases, 98 of them in Jilin province that surrounds Changchun. In the entire province, cases have exceeded 1,100 since the latest outbreak first struck late last week.
Under China’s “zero tolerance”, the Chinese authorities have said it’ll lock down any area where more than one case will be detected.
Another 93 cases were reported in Jilin city. A partial lockdown has been imposed in the city.
The authorities have sacked Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology University officials following a cluster of infections on campus.
The school has registered 74 confirmed cases and transferred over 6,000 people to quarantine, according to state broadcaster CCTV.