Chinese cities are imposing fresh lockdowns and travel restrictions after the number of new daily Covid-19 cases tripled during a week-long holiday, ahead of a major Communist Party meeting in Beijing next week. The latest lockdown started on Monday in Fenyang city in northern China’s Shanxi province after a preliminary positive case was found in city-wide testing the previous day, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
In the nearby Inner Mongolia region, the capital, Hohhot, announced that outside vehicles and passengers would be prohibited from entering the city from Tuesday. Hohhot has recorded more than 2,000 cases over about 12 days.
China is one of the few places in the world still resorting to strict measures to keep the disease from spreading. The long-ruling Communist Party is particularly concerned as it tries to present a positive image of the nation in the run-up to a once-in-five-years party congress that starts on Sunday October 16.
