China Imposes Lockdown On 13 Million Residents of Xi’an Weeks Ahead Of Winter Olympics

63 locally transmitted cases were detected in Xi’an on Thursday. It was not yet clear whether the rise in cases were of Omicron variant or the previous delta variant.

Representational Image of Xi'an city | Photo: Getty Images

New Delhi: With a spike in cases of Covid-19 in China, the country in its effort to contain the spread has imposed a lockdown for the 13 million residents of the northern city of Xi’an, reported AP. The measure has been taken just weeks before the commencement of Beijing Winter Olympics scheduled to be held roughly 1,000 kilometres to the west. 

The report stated that it was not yet clear whether the rise in cases were of Omicron variant or the previous delta variant. There are seven cases of the Omicron variant reported in the country so far — four in the southern manufacturing centre of Guangzhou, two in the southern city of Changsha and one in the northern part of Tianjin. 

Substantial rises in cases were also reported from several cities in the eastern province of Zhejiang near Shanghai. 

As per the report restrictions in Xi’an were some of the harshest in the country since 2020 when strict lockdown was imposed on more than 11 million people in and around the epicenter of the virus, Wuhan. 

63 locally transmitted cases were detected in Xi’an on Thursday taking the city’s total tally to 211 since the past week 

“We are not receiving any new guests and no present guests are allowed to leave the hotel,” said a receptionist at the Hanting Hotel in Xi’an. “Including the guests, we are required to take a test once every two days. There will be an impact on our business and we have no idea how long it will last,” the receptionist added.