China imposes lockdown as COVID-19 re-emerges

China has again declared a lockdown for nine million inhabitants of the north-eastern city of Changchun after a sudden new spike of Covid19 cases is recorded in the area.

As per reports, China's caseload increased by 1000 for the first time in the last two years, showing a situation of concern. The local government ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses, and all transportation links have been ordered to shut down on Friday.

In Changchun, residents are ordered to remain in their building complexes and only leave in the case of emergencies. All people are ordered to undergo three rounds of mass testing.

Meanwhile, authorities in Shanghai, which is dealing with the pandemic's worst breakout, are testing pupils from kindergarten till college. The city has mainly avoided using sweeping measures like lockdowns that are usual in smaller areas, but the rising outbreak may put this more tailored response to the test.

As Omicron frequently bursts through one of the world's most strict containment systems, the 'Covid Zero' policy that helped keep China relatively virus-free for much of the pandemic now looks to be crumbling.

The 1,500 daily cases in China were far fewer than in many other nations, but the rising number could hamper Beijing's 'dynamic-clearance' goal of stopping the spread of disease as rapidly as possible.