In a new lockdown to curb the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of coronavirus, millions of residents in central China are home confined. A mass testing drive has been launched by the government to control the situation. 14 million residents are ordered to undergo testing. According to the reports, all the non-essential businesses are also shut down.
Beijing is looking forward to hosting the Winter Olympics next month with its “zero-Covid” strategy. The city is under high alert due to the new outbreak with targeted lockdowns, lengthy quarantines, border restrictions.
These measures have kept the number of cases far lower in the country as compared to the virus hotspots in the United States and Europe. However, Beijing is battling with local flare-ups in multiple cities.
The new strain presents a challenge in Anyang. Since Saturday, the total caseload has touched the 84 mark, and two active cases are currently found in Henan province. The residents of the city are ordered not to leave their homes or go on a drive.
Three cities in Henan are battling with outbreaks including the provincial capital Zhengzhou. This forced the shutting down of local schools and kindergarten, and dine-in restaurants.
