Chinese megacity in Covid battle

THE Chinese megacity of Guangzhou yesterday cancelled hundreds of flights and began testing 5.6 million people over one suspected Covid-19 case, part of an escalating battle across the country to extinguish the virus.

China is facing its worst outbreak since the peak of the first wave in early 2020, with eastern Shanghai recording dozens of daily deaths and the capital Beijing sealing off whole areas where handfuls of cases have been detected.

Under its zero-Covid policy, China has used lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions to stamp out infections. The strategy is under strain, with the highly transmissible Omicron variant punching through health controls.

Rolling virus restrictions, including a weeks-long lockdown of virtually all of Shanghai’s 25 million residents, have damaged the economy, causing backlogs at the world’s busiest container port.

Meanwhile, the tech hub of Hangzhou near Shanghai ordered 9.4 million downtown residents out of its 12.2 million population to get tested every 48 hours if they want to access public spaces and transportation.

China reported 11 367 new infections yesterday, a small daily tally compared with most major global economies, but enough to rattle authorities.

The outbreaks are expected to hit tourism during next week’s May national holiday.