Ahead of the Party Congress, China is advancing measures to contain Covid-19 outbreaks, after nationwide cases have reached their highest level in almost two months, prompting fears of lockdowns in Shanghai.
After a weeklong National Day holiday, Covid cases spiked to 1,878 on Sunday as tourists returned home. The figures reached a record high not seen since August 20. Meanwhile, financial hub Shanghai reported its highest number of new local infections in over three months, with 34 cases.
Even a city with no reported cases of the virus has gone into lockdown, a sign of the rising tensions across the country. For example, Yongji, a city in southwestern China, imposed a three-day lockdown beginning Friday evening to prevent probable cases of travelers returning home after the holiday. Chinese netizens criticized the local government for becoming “overzealous” after the measure was announced, according to Reuters.
The Party Congress is set to begin soon, putting pressure on local authorities to contain any Covid outbreaks that may occur.
