Fresh lockdowns in China as local Covid-19 infections spread to 11 provinces

“Since October 17, there have been multiple scattered local outbreaks in China, and they’re expanding rapidly,” Mi Feng, a spokesman at the National Health Commission (NHC), said at a news conference Sunday. “There is an increasing risk that the outbreak will spread even further.”

The caseload of China’s latest outbreak pales in comparison with those of some other countries, including Singapore and the United Kingdom. But the scope of its spread has worried the Chinese government, which insists on a strict zero-Covid policy to stamp out infections.

Infections have been reported in nearly a third of the country’s provinces and regions, with all medium- and high-risk regions concentrated in Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia, Guizhou and Beijing. Authorities have banned travel agencies from organizing cross-provincial tours in these regions.

On Sunday, the Chinese capital tightened entry restrictions into the city, requiring travelers from places with confirmed cases to present a negative coronavirus test and undergo 14 days of health monitoring.

The city has recorded 14 confirmed cases in the latest outbreak, including 12 over the past three days, according to a CNN tally of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission’s daily reports.

A widespread Covid outbreak in Beijing would be the last thing Chinese leaders want to see as the city gears up for the 2022 Winter Olympics in February. Next month, members of the ruling Communist Party’s elite Central Committee are also due to gather in the capital for their annual meeting, which paves the way for President Xi…