New Covid outbreaks have locked millions in China

Ten million people were locked down across China on Wednesday, and businesses in a major tourist city were forced to close as new Covid clusters sparked fears of even broader restrictions.

Chinese health authorities reported more than 300 infections in the historic northern city of Xi’an – home of the Terracotta Army – and the country’s largest city, Shanghai.

The outbreaks and official response have dashed hopes that China would move away from the strict virus restrictions seen earlier this year, when its strict zero-Covid policy resulted in tens of millions being locked down for weeks.

In Shanghai, some people took to social media to report receiving government food rations – a throwback to months of confinement imposed on the city’s residents in the spring.

“I’m so nervous, the epidemic has ruined my youth. I’m about to go crazy,” a Shanghai-based user posted on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform.

Officials launched a new round of mass testing in more than half of boroughs after cases have recovered since the weekend. They closed all karaoke bars on Wednesday after some infections were linked to six such venues.

“I think it’s unnecessary and I really don’t want to do it,” Alice Chan, from Shanghai, told AFP.

She said she took part in the mass testing because she was concerned her health code stored on smartphones, used to access public spaces, could otherwise flag her as a Covid risk.

“I don’t think the situation will improve in the short term,” said another resident, who only gave his name as Yao.

“People aren’t really afraid of Covid now, they’re afraid of being locked up in their homes.”

In Xi’an – a historic city of 13 million that suffered a month-long lockdown late last year – the population has been placed under “temporary control measures” after 29 infections were detected since Saturday, mostly among garbage recycling workers.

Entertainment venues such as pubs, internet cafes and karaoke bars would close their doors from midnight on Wednesday, the city government said in a statement.

State media showed Xi’an residents queuing for tests after midnight on Tuesday, but said the city was not under lockdown.

Officials have attributed the BA.5.2 sublineage outbreak to the Omicron variant, which is more transmissible and immune-preventable.

“The positive infections are all the BA.5.2 branch of the Omicron variant, and the epidemiological tracing work is still ongoing,” Xi’an health official Ma Chaofeng said at a briefing.

The outbreaks pose a new challenge for Chinese President Xi Jinping, who last week reiterated his commitment to the zero-Covid strategy despite rising economic costs.

Japan’s bank Nomura has estimated that at least 114 million people were on full or partial lockdown across the country on Monday, a sharp increase from last week’s 66.7 million.

More than 1,000 infections have been reported in central Anhui Province since last week, with dozens spreading to neighboring Shanghai’s Jiangsu Province and threatening the Yangtze River Delta manufacturing region.