Covid Surge In China; 28 Million People Under Lockdown

The Coronavirus is back with a vengeance in China. Over 100 cases have been recorded, the highest daily rise in over five months. And that’s official in a country notorious for revealing less and concealing more, as was the case when it put out its first Covid infection a year ago.

The National Health Commission said 115 new cases were reported in the mainland compared with 55 a day earlier. Hebei, the province that surrounds Beijing, saw 90 cases while Heilongjiang province reported 16 new cases. The surge comes ahead of Thursday’s visit by a team from the World Health Organisation (WHO) to Wuhan to probe the origin of the Coronavirus. Nobody expects any big bang revelation though.

Over 28 million people in four cities—Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Langfang of Hebei province and Suihua of Heilongjiang province —remain under strict lockdown. Tieli, a city bordering Suihua, has said it won’t allow movement of people or vehicles for three days. Testing has been ramped up in Beijing.