(Bloomberg) -- China’s daily Covid cases surged again as top cities struggle to get persistent outbreaks under control without deploying the one-size-fits-all Covid Zero restrictions that Beijing has said must be avoided.

Nationwide, there were 23,132 new cases for Wednesday, the highest since April and nearing the all-time high reached during the worst of Shanghai’s massive outbreak earlier this year. The surge is driven mostly by infections in some of the country’s most significant cities. The southern hub of Guangzhou reported a record 8,761 infections, and authorities have extended some curbs for the downtown district of Haizhu, while easing measures in parts of two other districts that were previously locked down. 

China’s daily infections have more than doubled since Friday, when Beijing announced a raft of changes to its zero-tolerance strategy aimed at reducing the disruption caused by rules like snap city-wide lockdowns and near-constant mass testing. Even as that’s fueled optimism the country may be contemplating a meaningful shift in its pandemic response, state media and officials have pushed back on the idea the tweaks to policies represent a relaxation. 

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The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, has issued a series of commentaries reiterating the country’s commitment to stamping out the virus. Its latest, published on Thursday, said the country is capable of achieving “dynamic Covid Zero” and winning the fight against the pandemic. 

Uncertainty about how local officials will implement the 20-point playbook for Covid has caused chaos in some parts of the country. A rumor that took hold in Shijiazhuang, about 160 miles from Beijing, that the city was to be a test case for China’s reopening was met with fear, with residents choosing to stay at home and keep their kids home from school.

Guangzhou has also been a focus for China watchers as the city of 19 million people has only used targeted lockdowns in three districts, holding off on tougher and more widespread measures even as infections surged. Still, residents have grown agitated. Videos circulating on social media this week showed hundreds of people marching in the streets and pushing over police barriers in Haizhu, the center of the outbreak and subject to the longest lockdown. 

Elsewhere, China’s capital of Beijing saw a rebound in cases to 423. The metropolis of Chongqing reported more than 4,000 new cases, while the sprawling western region of Xinjiang saw infections near 1,000 even as its capital, Urumqi, endures the country’s longest lockdown.

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