BEIJING —
China on Sunday imposed stay-at-home orders
on millions more people in the country's northeast as it battles its biggest
COVID-19 outbreak in two years.
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The country has largely kept the virus at bay since it
brought to heel its initial outbreak in 2020 using targeted lockdowns, mass
testing and travel restrictions.
But the
Omicron strain has broken through its defenses in
recent months and taken hold in multiple cities.
Jilin, the second-biggest city in Jilin province, will lock
down about 4.5 million inhabitants for three days from Monday night, local
authorities announced.
More than 4,000 new infections were reported across China on
Sunday — with two-thirds in Jilin province, which borders
Russia and North
Korea.
Changchun, Jilin province's capital, said Saturday it would
also tighten restrictions for three days.
Since March 11, Changchun's nine million people have only
been allowed out once every two days to buy food.
The new measures mean only medical personnel and other
anti-epidemic workers will be authorized to leave their homes.
But restrictions are being eased in the southern tech hub of
Shenzhen, which locked down its 17.5 million residents a week ago.
Public transport will resume fully from Monday, alongside
some administrative and business activities, local health authorities said
Sunday.
Non-essential businesses will remain closed however and the
downtown Futian business district is still under strict anti-
COVID measures.
Shenzhen is home to some of China's biggest tech firms,
meaning any curbs on businesses come at a significant economic cost.
China on Saturday recorded its first two deaths from COVID
in more than a year.
Tens of millions of people are currently in lockdown in other
regions and authorities are rushing to create hospital beds, fearing the
outbreak could put the healthcare system under strain.
Jilin province has built eight temporary hospitals and two
quarantine centers.
East of the capital
Beijing, the city of Tangshan banned
traffic for 24 hours on Sunday in an effort to slow the virus' spread — and
will test all its 7.7 million people.
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