Chinese City Reverses Covid Control Easing as Case Count Surges

Just a week after abolishing regular Covid testing and easing other virus restrictions, Shijiazhuang in North China’s Hebei province launched a new round of mass testing and told its 11 million residents to stay at home for five days as case numbers ticked up again.

The provincial capital, which was recently in the spotlight for its rapid take-up of Beijing’s tweaked “zero-Covid” policy, will conduct districtwide testing in six of its eight districts from Monday through Friday, according to a statement issued by the city’s health authorities. Those who do not take the tests within 24 hours will have their movement restricted, said the statement published by the official local newspaper Shijiazhuang Daily.