BEIJING, July 27 (Reuters) – China’s central city of Watern on Wednesday temporarily shut down some businesses and public transport in a district of about a million people as the city where the outbreak first appeared increased alert after several new infections.
China has invested heavily in its flexible Covid-19 policy, including mass testing, rapid restrictions on business and people’s movements, and strict controls to prevent the spread of nascent clusters.
The strategy has helped Wuhan and other parts of the country control the number of cases, but severe lockdowns during major outbreaks and fears of repeated restrictions every time new cases emerge have hampered the economy, business confidence and people’s willingness to travel. .
The main urban areas of Wanhan’s Jiangxia District, home to more than 900,000 residents, will be put under a three-day curfew from Wednesday, during which many large group events and dining in restaurants, various public entertainment venues, agricultural produce markets and smaller venues will be closed. Block clinics and bus and subway services.
He urged residents not to leave the area for three days, and urged travelers not to enter.
The order came quickly after Jiangxia officials said late Tuesday that they had found two cases in routine test drives and another two through screening of individuals in close contact with the infection.
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Reporting by Roxanne Liu and Ryan Woo; Edited by Raju Gopalakrishnan
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