China has introduced a lockdown in the 21-million population city of Chengdu, the capital of southwestern Sichuan province to conduct PCR testing among residents amid the spike in COVID-19 infections.
Each household will be allowed to send one person out to buy groceries and essential goods per day, provided they have tested negative in the previous 24 hours. Chengdu recorded 157 new local infections, of which 51 displayed no symptoms.
Non-essential employees in Chengdu were asked to work from home and residents were urged not to leave the city unless needed. Residents who must leave their residential compounds for hospital visits or other special needs must obtain approval from neighbourhood staffers.
Flights to and from Chengdu were dramatically restricted. 398 flights had been cancelled at Shuangliu Airport in Chengdu, with a cancellation rate of 62%. At Chengdu's Tianfu Airport, 79%, or 725 flights, were cancelled.
Other major cities including Shenzhen in the south and Dalian in the northeast have also stepped up COVID restrictions, ranging from work-from-home requirements to the closure of entertainment businesses in some districts. More than 6 million cases of COVID-19 infection have been registered since the beginning of the pandemic in mainland China, with 24,806 related deaths.
