Northwestern China’s Xi’an recorded 175 locally transmitted Covid-19 cases on Monday — the highest daily infection count in a Chinese city since March 2020.
Xi’an has now recorded 810 locally transmitted cases since its cluster began on December 9, one of the worst localized outbreaks in China since Wuhan became the epicenter of the pandemic in 2019.
Xi’an, home to 13 million people, went into strict lockdown on December 23, closing public venues and transportation except essential services like supermarkets and hospitals.
It further tightened Covid control measures on Monday as local infections increased, requiring all residents to stay at home unless permitted to leave for mass testing.
Soldiers sent to help: State-run newspaper People’s Daily said 150 military medics from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force were sent to Xi’an to assist in local hospitals on Monday, some with experience fighting the initial Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan.
Official says outbreak is under control: While cases are expected to rise in the coming days, the Xi’an outbreak is under control, according to Wei Xiaoli of the city’s CDC. He told a Monday news conference that residents “don’t need to worry too much about the rapid increase of cases,” which have been uncovered by mass testing programs in the city.
According to the National Health Commission, China reported 182 locally-transmitted symptomatic cases on Monday — 180 of them in northwestern Shaanxi province, of which Xi’an is the capital.
One case each was found in southeastern Zhejiang province and southwestern Yunnan province.
