China Battles Covid-19, Local Cases At 2-Year High

China is seeing a spike in Covid-19 infections, with the mainland reporting 402 locally transmitted cases on Wednesday, according to official data. Of those, 165 were in the northeastern province of Jilin, mainly in the cities of Changchun and Jilin, the National Health Commission said. That’s the highest daily count for the province since China contained its first national outbreak in early 2020. The city of Jilin has been the hardest-hit; authorities are battling an outbreak where a sub-strain of the Omicron variant has been detected. Businesses in urban areas have been shut for a week but essential services and businesses that need continuous production are exempt. People have been told to stay indoors till March 13, except for urgent matters such as to seek medical services. One person from each household will be allowed out each day to shop for necessities. The measures are less strict than the ‘zero tolerance’ approach that has been the standard Chinese approach to tackling the pandemic. Premier Li Keqiang says China needs to “constantly refine epidemic containment”.