China Lifts One of Its longest Lockdowns

by Staff Writer 24-01-2022 | 3:02 PM

(News1st)

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One of China's longest covid-19 lockdowns since the inception of the pandemic came to an end on Monday (24) as Chinese authorities announced the lifting of most restrictions in the northern megacity of Xi'an.

Xian's 13 million residents had been confined to their homes since December 22nd following the discovery of a Covid-19 cluster that grew to over 2,100 cases -- China's largest local outbreak in months.

Chinese Officials started removing restrictions in Xi'an after the daily infection rates slowed to single digits.

With the Winter Olympics set to kick off next week, Chinese authorities have been scrambling to eradicate flare-ups in several major cities, most recently Beijing, where more than 40 cases have been recorded since mid-January.

Residents with a clean bill of health are now allowed to leave the city, while public transport and economic activity have fully resumed as Xi'an has been deemed a "low-risk" area, virus control authorities said in statement.

Furthermore, only a single district remains under lockdown, with restrictions to be lifted at a later date, the notice further said.

However, travelers to Xi'an, home of the famed terracotta warriors, still need to provide a recent negative covid-19 test result, while those from virus-affected areas of China are barred entry.

Meanwhile, leaders are anxious to avoid a full-scale lockdown of the capital Beijing ahead of a Games it is determined to pull off smoothly, urging residents to stay put during the Lunar New Year public holiday.

Thousands of athletes, media workers and foreign dignitaries arriving for the Beijing Winter Olympics will operate in a "closed-loop" bubble strictly cut off from the outside world. On Sunday, it was announced that more than 70 Games participants had tested positive inside the bubble so far.