China locks down cities as Covid-19 cases surge again

China locks down cities as Covid-19 cases surge again.

Shenzhen, another city with a population of more than 17 million, closed on Sunday (March 13, 2022) in China, two days after it was ordered to lock down 9 million residents in the northeastern city of Changchun amid a new escalation of Covid-19 cases, to control the latest coronavirus infections.

With the recent Covid-19 eruption, the high-tech Shenzhen city will suspend bus and metro services to all communities, villages and from Monday to Sunday. In a statement, city officials urged residents to work from home and go out only to buy daily necessities.

The company announced on March 14 that the iPhone supplier had stopped production at its China headquarters and Shenzhen bases due to the COVID-19 lockout in the Foxconn region.

On Sunday, China's National Health Authority registered 3,122 new cases of the virus, up from 1,524 on Saturday. According to Johns Hopkins University, the average number of new virus cases in the country last week reached 1,370 a day.

Chinese state media have reported that Chinese observers have warned local governments to avoid drastic measures such as city locks, as they could be detrimental to the local economy.

The city chief said it would be a challenge for the authorities if the number of cases continued to rise at the current rate.