China megacity Chengdu extended the lockdown on Thursday as Covid case numbers remain elevated.
The lockdown was set to be lifted on Wednesday, but local government authorities in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and home to over 21 million people, urged caution, saying “there are still risks of social spread in some areas.”
Chengdu recorded 116 new local cases on Thursday, a decrease from 121 the previous day.
Residents under lockdown will be tested for the virus on a daily basis, Chengdu authorities said late Wednesday, without specifying when the restriction will be lifted.
Chengdu’s lockdown is the most severe in China since the two-month shutdown of Shanghai in April and May. President Xi Jinping has made it quite clear that he favors the zero-Covid policy and views it as the only suitable option for his country.
