Mainland Sees Rebound In New Covid Infections

Parts of Shenzhen returned to business as usual on Friday, as authorities say the Covid-19 situation there is now largely under control following a lockdown and two rounds of universal testing.

This comes amid a spike in the number of new Covid-19 cases in the mainland.

Authorities confirmed 2,388 new local cases across the mainland, and 1,742 asymptomatic infections – which they count separately.

The overall figure of 4,130 local cases is up two-thirds from the previous day’s tally, with Jilin remaining by far the hardest-hit province – taking up some three quarters of the newly-confirmed cases.

Overall imported cases – counting both sick and asymptomatic patients – rose slightly to 235.

The number of new local infections in Guangdong fell by 20 to 135, counting asymptomatic cases. The overall local tally for Shenzhen rose by 14 over the previous day to 105.

Some workers in the city are returning to work, with authorities deeming the epidemic now under control, after two full rounds of universal testing amid a citywide lockdown imposed on Sunday.

At a news conference, the deputy-secretary general of the Shenzhen municipal government, Huang Qiang, noted that some areas in the metropolis haven’t seen any new cases at all for days.

However, he also cautioned that there are still cases in the community, and the overall number of infections remain at a high level.

That said, Mr Huang said businesses in areas that have achieved "dynamic zero-Covid" can resume normal operations.

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