Several districts in Beijing closed their schools as the number of Covid-19 cases in Beijing and across China surged.
On Monday, students in numerous Beijing districts buckled down for online classes after officials ordered people in some of the city’s hardest-hit neighborhoods to stay at home for five days.
China reported 26,824 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, nearing April’s peaks, from Zhengzhou in central Henan to Chongqing in the southwest. Two deaths were reported in Beijing, up from one on Saturday, the first since late May.
The capital Beijing reported 962 new infections, up from 621 a day earlier.
China’s recent moves to make its COVID-19 restrictions more targeted have fueled market hopes of a more significant easing, even as China battles the highly transmissible Omicron version for the first time.
However, many analysts believe that such a shift will not occur until March or April, with the government claiming that President Xi Jinping’s signature zero-COVID policy saves lives.