As of this week, there have been more than 1,000 COVID cases reported across China, the
highest number recorded since the corona outbreak began in early 2020.
In this context, China on Friday ordered a lockdown of the 9 million residents of the
northeastern city of Changchun, which serves as the capital of Jilin province and an important industrial center.
Residents are being asked to go through the three rounds of mass testing, while non-essential businesses have been closed and public transportation has been suspended in the affected areas.
Everyone is encouraged to stay at home, with only one member of the family permitted to
leave the house every two days to buy groceries and other essential items.
According to the Associated Press news agency, the Chinese government has ordered local residents to participate in three rounds of mass testing to ensure that everyone is tested for COVID related symptoms.
Under China’s “zero tolerance” policy, the Chinese government has stated that any area where more than one COVID case is discovered will be closed down.
On Friday, China reported another 397 cases of local transmission across the country, with 98 of them occurring in Jilin province, which surrounds Changchun, the country’s auto manufacturing capital. Since the beginning of the latest outbreak last week, there have been more than 1,100 cases across the entire province.
As a result, authorities in Shanghai and other major cities have intensified targeted lockdowns and testing in an effort to bring Omicron to a halt.
Published By: Apoorva Wakodikar
Edited By: Subbuthai Padma
