(Bloomberg) -- China’s Anhui put a second county under lockdown this week after a surge in Covid-19 cases stoked fears of a widespread breakout in the eastern province.
A county-wide lockdown was imposed in Lingbi in northeastern Anhui from 4 p.m. Friday, the local government said in a statement. All residents must stay indoors unless they attend Covid testing at designated locations, it said.
The lockdown followed similar steps in neighboring Si county on Wednesday after a local flareup. Si county is conducting its fifth mass testing on Saturday.
While China seems to have brought earlier outbreaks in mega cities Shanghai and Beijing under control, its “Covid Zero” goal is facing a test again in its eastern provinces. The country reported a total 183 local cases for Friday, mostly in Anhui and neighboring Jiangsu.
Wuxi city in Jiangsu found 39 infections on Friday among people in quarantine and those at high risk, the local government said. Residents are advised to avoid unnecessary outings and gatherings, according to the early Saturday announcement. The city’s coach station has suspended all routes starting Saturday, citing Wuxi’s Covid control requirements, according to a notice.
Xuzhou, another city in Jiangsu, asked residents to not leave the city unless it’s necessary, after finding 13 Covid cases on Saturday, the local government said in a notice.
(Updates with Xuzhou development in last paragraph.)
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
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