China Locks Down Again

China has forced a city of 13 million inhabitants to go under strict lockdown

• The Chinese city of Xi’an (population: 13 million citizens) has been put under strict lockdown following rising of Covid cases. This is due to the Delta variant as China has few Omicron cases.
• Xi’an city government has ordered all its citizens to stay at home and only one person per house is designated to head out for essential supplies collection, once in two days.
• The city renowned for its Terracotta Warriors exhibit had seen around 143 cases since 9 December.
• Since the outbreak of the virus last year, this is the strictest lockdown announced in China. Xi’an has also seen a rise in hemorrhagic fever cases that are typical in December.
• According to experts, the major reason for the lockdown is to avoid community spread before the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 which begins in February.
• The port city of Tianjin, where the first case of the Omicron variant was discovered, was also put under strict restrictions earlier this month.
• China has administered 2.7 billion doses of Covid19 vaccinations so far. China has recorded just over 100,000 Covid cases and under 5,000 deaths.
• This reading will look into how China is ensuring it’s keeping Covid under control as it gets ready for Winter Olympics 2022.