Europe 1 with AFP 06:43, March 13, 2022

China, where the coronavirus was first detected in late 2019, is responding to outbreaks with local lockdowns, mass screening, and population control through smartphone apps. tracing.

With a peak of 3,393 cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, the country is choosing to confine several cities once again.

China recorded 3,393 cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, official data showed, a record since the outbreak began in February 2020. Due to a spike in cases across the country, authorities closed schools in Shanghai and confined several cities in the northeast, while more than ten provinces are rushing to stem local outbreaks.

Rapid rise of the virus in the different regions

Residents of the large city of Jilin, which has reported more than 500 cases of the Omicron variant, had completed their six rounds of mandatory screening tests by Sunday, according to local authorities.

On Saturday, several hundred neighborhoods in the city were confined.

Changchun, a neighboring city and industrial base of 9 million inhabitants, was put under a bell on Friday. 

The partially confined Chinese city of Jilin

The major city of Jilin in northeastern China has been partially locked down, with hundreds of neighborhoods under lockdown, an official said on Sunday, as the country records a record number of daily cases.

This shows that the "Omicron variant is (...) highly contagious, rapid and difficult to detect in the early stages" of transmission, said Zhang Yan, health official of Jilin province, during a point Press.

"It also reflects the rapid rise (...) of the virus in the different regions and the lack of (...) medical resources", causing delays in admission to hospitals and treatment of patients, he said. he adds.

Jilin's mayor and Changchun's health official were removed from their posts on Saturday, state media reported.

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The spike comes as cases spiral out of control in southern China's Hong Kong territory, where tens of thousands of cases are being seen every day and hospitals are overflowing with patients.

China's borders remain virtually closed as policymakers continue to enforce a zero-tolerance approach to the virus.