China orders lockdown of up to 13 million people in Xi'an

There was no word on whether the virus was the newly surging omicron variant or the far more common delta

Dec 23, 20210

Shao Rui - Xinhua via Associated Press count

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, people register for tests at a COVID-19 testing site in Xi'an in northwestern China's Shaanxi Province, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. China on Wednesday ordered millions of people locked down in neighborhoods and workplaces in the northern city of Xi'an following a spike in coronavirus cases.

BEIJING - China ordered the lockdown of as many as 13 million people in neighborhoods and workplaces in the northern city of Xi'an following a spike in coronavirus cases, setting off panic buying just weeks before the country hosts the Winter Olympic Games.

State media reported that city officials ordered all residents to stay home unless they had a pressing reason to go out and suspended all transport to and from the city apart from special cases.

One person from each household will be permitted out every two days to buy household necessities, the order said. It took effect at midnight Wednesday, with no word on when it might be lifted.

https://www.startribune.com/china-orders-lockdown-of-up-to-13-million-people-in-xian/600129475/