China’s Covid Cases Hit Record For Third Straight Day as Lockdown Fatigue Grows

China reported nearly 35,000 local Covid cases Friday, a record for the third consecutive day, with Guangzhou among the worst-hit cities, as public backlash against lockdowns grows and a deadly residential fire in Xinjiang raises questions about whether the tough pandemic measures may have contributed to the fatalities.

The count includes 3,405 symptomatic cases and 31,504 asymptomatic infections, the National Health Commission said Saturday. It topped the 31,444 local cases recorded Wednesday, when the number exceeded 30,000 for the first time, and surpassed the previous highest daily tally of 29,317 detected April 13. That was at a time when Shanghai was under a two-month lockdown during its worst-ever outbreak.