China puts city of 13 million in lockdown ahead of Olympics

China plunged a metropolis of 13 cardinal radical into lockdown connected Thursday to stamp retired an summation successful coronavirus infections, arsenic the state doubles down connected its “zero tolerance” argumentation conscionable weeks earlier it is acceptable to big the Winter Olympics.

The restrictions successful the northeastern metropolis of Xi’an took effect astatine midnight Wednesday, with nary connection connected erstwhile they mightiness beryllium lifted. They are immoderate of the harshest since China imposed a strict lockdown past twelvemonth connected much than 11 cardinal radical successful and astir the metropolis of Wuhan, wherever the coronavirus was archetypal detected successful precocious 2019.

One idiosyncratic from each household volition beryllium allowed retired each 2 days to bargain household necessities, a authorities bid said. Other household members were required to enactment astatine home, though the regularisation was not being rigorously enforced, according to societal media posts. People who happened to beryllium staying successful hotels became stuck.

There was nary connection connected whether the caller cases were of the precocious identified omicron variant that appears much contagious and is driving surges successful galore parts of the satellite — oregon the erstwhile version, delta. China has reported conscionable 7 omicron cases truthful far, but nary successful Xi’an.

Though the latest outbreak is 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles) southwest of the Olympic big metropolis of Beijing, immoderate motion that the pandemic mightiness beryllium worsening successful China volition rise questions astir whether and however it volition negociate to invited thousands of athletes, officials and journalists erstwhile the Games unfastened successful conscionable weeks connected Feb. 4.

On the 1 hand, determination is simply a tremendous magnitude of nationalist pridefulness and concern riding connected the Olympics and fewer would privation a cancellation, postponement oregon melodramatic reimagining astatine this precocious stage. On the other, Chinese authorities person adopted draconian measures passim the pandemic nether their argumentation of seeking to stamp retired each past lawsuit — and it’s hard to spot however welcoming truthful galore radical from overseas volition quadrate with that strategy.

That “zero tolerance” policy, which has led to predominant lockdowns, cosmopolitan masking and wide testing, has not been wholly successful. It has resulted successful monolithic disruptions to question and trade, but Beijing credits it with mostly containing the dispersed of the virus. Overall, China has reported 4,636 deaths and 100,644 cases of COVID-19.

Xi’an — the superior of Shaanxi province, famed for its imperial relics, arsenic good arsenic a large halfway of manufacture — reported different 63 locally transmitted cases connected Thursday, pushing the city’s full to astatine slightest 211 implicit the past week.

China has besides been dealing with a important coronavirus outbreak successful respective cities successful the eastbound state of Zhejiang adjacent Shanghai, though isolation measures determination person been much narrowly targeted.

“We are not receiving immoderate caller guests, and nary contiguous guests are allowed to permission the hotel,” said a receptionist astatine the Hanting Hotel successful Xi’an, who lone gave her surname, Li.

Staff and guests are required to beryllium tested each 2 days, Li said. “There volition beryllium an interaction connected our business, and we person nary thought however agelong it volition last.”

The proprietor of a section bookshop said helium had closed 10 days before, “fearing the worsening of the epidemic situation.”

“I americium present staying astatine location watching television.” said the owner, who gave lone his surname, Xiao.

Movement extracurricular his compound requires support from the section vicinity committee, helium said. “I deliberation the concern volition get amended eventually, and I don’t interest astatine each due to the fact that we person the authorities down us,” Xiao said.

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This communicative has been corrected to amusement that Beijing is northeast of Xi’an, not west.