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| With the Winter Olympics beginning next week, Chinese authorities have scrambled to eradicate flare-ups in several major cities, including Beijing. (Photo by= AFP/Fabrice COFFRINI) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] BEIJING: Chinese authorities locked down an area neighboring the capital city of Beijing this week following a handful of reported COVID-19 cases, but made no public announcements about the new restrictions with about a week until the Winter Olympics, AFP reported.
Around 1.2 million people in Xiong'an New Area, a new economic zone 100km southwest of Beijing - are no longer allowed to enter or leave their residential compounds, local virus prevention staff confirmed to AFP on Friday (Jan 28). While recent lockdowns in China are publicly announced and widely reported by state media, the Xiong'an restrictions appear to have been introduced by stealth with no public announcements - sparking confusion among some residents of the area. The restrictions kicked in on Tuesday, they added - the same day authorities in another district noted five confirmed coronavirus infections had been discovered to date.
With the Winter Olympics beginning next week, Chinese authorities have scrambled to eradicate flare-ups in several major cities, including Beijing. Some users on China's Twitter-like Weibo were seen asking for further information about restrictions, while others questioned the extent of measures. While there have been a number of national-level "New Areas" across China, Xiong'an stands out with its location personally designated by President Xi Jinping, according to state media. China reported 39 domestic COVID-19 cases on Friday.
