The Chinese metropolis of Chengdu locked down its 21 million residents to contain a COVID-19 outbreak. Bloomberg reports.
In such a way the authorities want to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Western region that has largely been untouched by the virus.
The capital of Sichuan province, Chengdu is the biggest city to shut down since Shanghai’s bruising two-month lockdown earlier this year.
«The move, which will upend the lives of millions of people and businesses, with repercussions for China’s economy and beyond, shows the country’s commitment to the Covid Zero approach espoused by President Xi Jinping, despite the disruption it’s causing,» the media outlet reports.
The lockdown of Chengdu Thursday came after 157 new cases were reported. The city, which accounts for about 1.7 percent of China’s gross domestic product, is home to numerous technology companies and automakers, including Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest assembler of Apple Inc.’s iPhones. Chengdu is also a popular tourist destination, famed for its giant panda sanctuary.
The entire city will undergo four days of mass testing. People must stay at home indefinitely and can only go outside in exceptional cases, such as an emergency, Chengdu city officials said.
