Chinese metropolis of Chengdu locks down 21 million residents
The Chinese metropolis of Chengdu will impose a sweeping city-wide lockdown on Thursday evening, confining 21 million residents to their homes as the country doubles down on its zero-Covid policy ahead of a key Communist Party meeting.
All residents in the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China have been ordered to stay at home from 6 p.m. Thursday, except for mandatory Covid testing. Mass testing will be rolled out from Thursday to Sunday, the city government said.
Households can send one person out for grocery shopping once per day with a negative test, and residents with emergency requests such as seeking medical care must gain approval from a neighborhood committee.
All businesses are to be shut except for supermarkets, pharmacies and hospitals. Restaurant dining is also being suspended, with only takeaways allowed.
This is China's largest city-wide lockdown since Shanghai, the financial hub of 25 million people, emerged from a painful two-month lockdown in June.
MORE Covid: Chinese metropolis of Chengdu locks down 21 million residents - CNN