The Chinese city of Xi’an, world-famous for discovering the terraco army, will go into lockdown from midnight on Thursday due to a corona outbreak.
For the 13 million inhabitants, they must stay at home and only go out in emergencies. Shopping is still allowed, but only under strict conditions.
One person from each household is allowed to go out once every two days to buy food and other necessities, the local government reports. In addition, residents are only allowed to leave the city if “really necessary”, but it is unclear which situations are seen as exceptions. Residents must obtain permission from the authorities before departure.
Long-distance bus stations are closed, and checks on highways are diverting traffic out of Xi’an. As a result, there will be much less public transport in the city. Non-essential stores must close. Schools, childcare centres and various indoor locations were already closed. Employers have been urged to allow their staff to work from home.
The lockdown comes a day after Xi’an began testing all residents. The city has been dealing with a new outbreak since December 9. Since then, a total of 143 infections have been identified. On Wednesday, 52 new cases were reported, up from 42 days before.
Strict measures are limiting the spread of the coronavirus in China, but the country is faced with outbreaks now and then. Preventing infections is now extra crucial because the Chinese New Year will be celebrated in just over a month, a holiday much Chinese travel to family. Shortly after that, the Beijing Olympics will begin.