China tightens COVID curbs as cases rise

China has reported another record high of daily COVID-19 infections as cities across the country enforce measures and curbs to control outbreaks.

Thursday’s new local COVID-19 infections set a daily record for a second consecutive day, beating a figure set in mid-April, when the commercial hub of Shanghai was crippled by a citywide lockdown of its 25 million residents that lasted two months.

Excluding imported infections, China reported 32,943 new local cases on Thursday, of which 3103 were symptomatic and 29,840 were asymptomatic – up from 31,444 a day earlier.

Big outbreaks are numerous and far-flung, with the southern city of Guangzhou and southwestern Chongqing recording the bulk, although hundreds of new infections have been reported daily in cities such as Chengdu, Jinan, Lanzhou, Xian and Wuhan.

Cases quadrupled in Shijiazhuang to 3197 on Thursday from the previous day.

China’s capital, Beijing, reported 424 symptomatic and 1436 asymptomatic cases on Thursday, compared with 509 symptomatic and 1139 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government data showed.

Financial hub Shanghai reported nine symptomatic cases and 77 asymptomatic cases on Thursday, compared with nine symptomatic cases and 58 asymptomatic cases a day before, the local health authority reported.

Guangzhou, a city in the south of almost 19 million people, reported 257 new locally transmitted symptomatic and 7267 asymptomatic cases yesterday, compared with 428 symptomatic and 7192 asymptomatic cases a day before, local authorities said.

Chongqing reported 258 new symptomatic locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and 6242 asymptomatic cases for Thursday, compared with 409 symptomatic and 7437 asymptomatic cases the previous day, local government authorities said.