Status: 23.12.2021 9:18 a.m.
Because 69 people were infected with the corona virus, a strict lockdown now applies to 13 million residents in Xi’an, China. Everyone should stay at home. The city was practically sealed off from the outside.
After a few dozen corona infections in Xi’an, China, very strict rules apply to the 13 million residents of the metropolis. They have not been allowed to leave their apartments since midnight, exceptions are rarely allowed. Each family can designate one member who can go shopping every two days. All other members of the household must stay at home, except in emergencies. The city government announced this in its decree. The lockdown is indefinite.
Chinese authorities impose curfew on Xi’an, a metropolis with a population of 13 million
daily news 9:00 a.m., 23.12.2021
Authorities reported 63 local infections. The outbreak was triggered by “imported cases”, it said. It was not disclosed whether the virus is the new Omikron variant.
Traffic connections interrupted
In addition to the lockdown in the provincial capital of Shaanxi, millions of corona tests are also expected to help contain the outbreak. Infected people and their close contacts should be brought to hospital or quarantine, and all transmission routes should be interrupted. The schools as well as all shops and services that are not absolutely necessary for daily life have been closed.
Citizens are only allowed to leave the city if this is “necessary”. You then have to prove the “special circumstances” and have the trip approved, as the city administration also announced. Transport connections were also largely interrupted. Much of the flights to Xi’an have been canceled. In addition, corona checkpoints are to be set up on the streets out of the city and bus stations are to be closed for long-distance travel.
Containment of the virus ahead of the Olympics
Although the number of cases in China is negligible compared to other countries, the authorities are taking rigorous action against new outbreaks. Mass tests, quarantine orders and regional lockdowns are common. The country is currently trying to cope with foci of infection in several cities, including major industrial metropolises in the east and south of the country.
The authorities are determined to contain the virus before the Winter Olympics start in Beijing in February. Those responsible are very concerned about the much faster spreading Omikron variants.