China Tightens Virus Controls in Shanghai and Shenzhen

By Han Wei, Bao Zhiming, Zhang Shufan and Huang Rong

The government of Shanghai late Saturday told its 25 million residents to not leave the city unless absolutely necessary.

China ratcheted up virus controls in two of its biggest cities as infections soared in a new wave of Covid-19 outbreak that has spread through many parts of the world’s most populous country.

Travel restrictions and residential lockdowns were imposed in China’s financial hub Shanghai and southern tech center Shenzhen during the weekend.

Both cities have reported hundreds of Covid-19 cases in the latest flare-ups, which hit in late February and have been mainly caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant. Nationwide, China reported more than 3,300 Covid-19 infections Saturday, the nation’s worst outbreak since the early days of the pandemic.