due to Covid outbreak China shuts down 2nd city- Yan’an

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, China shut down Yan’an, about 300 km from Xi’an – the first city to go under lockdown. The authorities in Yan’an ordered the closure of businesses and told hundreds of thousands of people in one district to stay indoors.

According to the official reports, China has followed a “zero-Covid” strategy as Beijing prepares to welcome thousands of overseas visitors to February’s Winter Olympics. But authorities have faced a resurgent virus in recent weeks, reporting 209 infections on November 28 which is the highest single-day tally since March last year, when the virus was only beginning to spread around the world from the city of Wuhan.

The report further added that among the 162 domestic cases, 150 were reported in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, under a citywide lockdown since December 23. Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering said “ For Xi’an, intensified control and screening measures are urgent to block the virus as soon as possible. I estimate the transmission will be cut off in mid-January and the outbreak can be completely put under control in late January. It is very possible. The massive tests are conducive to early detection, quarantine, and interruption of the disease, and it minimizes the possibility of transmission.”