Covid: More Chinese cities announce curbs

BEIJING: Shanghai on Saturday reported 3,590 new symptomatic Covid-19 cases, the highest daily increase, and nearly 20,000 asymptomatic infections for April 15 as more big cities in China implemented restrictions on movement and partial lockdowns to contain the Omicrondriven outbreak. Shanghai’s case tally made up the vast majority of cases on the mainland, which reported 3,867 symptomatic and 20,813 asymptomatic infections for Friday.

As of Friday, the city has recorded over 330,000 infections in this round of outbreak.

China’s central bank on Friday evening cut the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves, aiming to cushion a sharp slowdown in growth.

“The lingering and widening restrictions highlight broad supply chain disruptions that are seen likely to lead to delays in shipments from companies including Apple,” Reuters reported.

The outlook could get worse with more cities like Xian in northwestern China telling its residents on Friday to avoid unnecessary trips outside their residential compounds and encouraging companies to have employees work from home or live at their workplace, following dozens of Covid-19 infections this month.

The city of some 13 million experienced one of the longest pandemic-related lockdowns in China in January.

The Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone, a central Chinese manufacturing area that includes Apple supplier Foxconn, announced a 14-day lockdown on Friday “to be adjusted according to the pandemic situation”. Suzhou city in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, located about an hour’s drive from Shanghai, stepped up pandemic prevention and control measures starting from Saturday, after successive positive cases were found among migrant workers in the area around the Suzhou railway station.

Omicron-specific jabs cleared for clinical trial Two Covid-19 vaccine candidates developed by units of China National Biotec Group (CNBG) to target the Omicron variant were approved for clinical trials as boosters in Hong Kong, the Sinopharm subsidiary said on Saturday.

With inputs from agencies

BLOOMBERG A health worker facilitates a round of Covid-19 testing in Shanghai, China.