China imposes a lockdown: China has imposed a lockdown in the northeastern city of Changchun, with a population of 9 million, amid fears of an outbreak of a new virus in China. During this, people have to stay at home and undergo three rounds of mass testing. Non-essential businesses have been closed and transport links have been suspended.
Global Times reports that nucleic acid tests will be conducted in Changchun, the capital of Jilin province in northeast China, to achieve the zero-covid policy as soon as possible. Along with this, three more rounds of nucleic acid tests will be done so that all hidden cases are discovered. Since March 8, 48 new cases of Covid have been detected in Changchun.
Also read: China imposes a lockdown in a city of 9 million people amid a new virus outbreak
Zhang Jingguo, director of the Changchun Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times that the first case found in Changchun had a travel history to the Covid-affected area. He has told that doing a genome study of 11 cases of Changchun has shown that all of them are strains of the Omicron variant. Jingguo has said that the epidemic situation in Changchun is still increasing and the number of cases is expected to increase in a short time.
In China, 397 more cases of local transmission were reported across the country on Friday, of which 98 cases have come in Jilin province. Only two cases were reported within the city. However, the authorities have resolved to impose a lockdown in areas with one or more cases as part of China’s policy of zero tolerance towards the epidemic.
The threat of covid is still taking a formidable form in many countries of the world. A large number of new Covid cases are still being reported in many European countries and US. In India too, the issue of Covid has not been solved, but in the last few months there has been a significant decline in the number of new Covid cases and deaths.