China on Sunday placed around 17 million residents under lockdown as virus cases doubled across the country to 3400.
Authorities in Shanghai have temporarily locked down individual schools, businesses, restaurants and malls over close-contact fears. Lockdown was imposed in several northeastern cities, as almost 19 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.
The mayor of Jilin and the head of the Changchun health commission were fired from their positions on Saturday, state media reported.
According to Al Jazeera, the neighbouring city of Changchun, an industrial base of nine million people were locked down on Friday, while at least three other small cities have been locked down since 01 March.
Residents of Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, were confined to their homes on Sunday.
Hong Kong currently has one of the world’s highest death rates from the virus, as the Omicron variant cuts through its elderly population among whom vaccine hesitancy proliferates.
Authorities advised residents not to leave the city unless necessary and tourist attractions started requiring visitors to provide negative COVID tests. The lockdown and a suspension of public transport will last until March 20, a city government notice said, adding that it would launch three rounds of mass testing.
Long lines were seen outside hospitals on Sunday as people rushed to get tested.
As cases rise, the country’s National Health Commission announced on Friday that it would make rapid antigen tests available for citizens to buy online or from clinics for “self-testing”.
Last week, a top Chinese scientist said the country should aim to co-exist with COVID, like other nations where Omicron has spread like wildfire.
But the government has also made clear that mass lockdowns remain an option.
