COVID Spike: Worried China Locks Down Northeastern City, Shuts Shanghai Schools

Shanghai: China is seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases. So much so that the authorities have announced steps to curb spread of coronavirus.

A lockdown was announced in Changchun, capital of Jilin province, on Friday while Shanghai decided to shut its schools, reported AFP.

Residents of northeastern city of Changchun, with a population of 9 million, were directed to stay at home, with just one person allowed to go out every two days to buy daily necessities. All public transport, schools and businesses will be shut and mass testing introduced.

Shanghai, on the other hand, ordered schools to be closed and shift to online mode after number of coronavirus cases increased in recent days in the major economic hub.

For the first time in two years, China’s daily COVID count went past the 1,000 mark this week. On Friday, 1369 cases were reported across a dozen provinces.

Three weeks ago, the country had less than 100 daily cases.

A worried National Health Commission said it will introduce rapid antigen tests in China. The kits will be available online or at pharmacies for citizens to buy for self testing.