The megacity, which has recently weathered heatwaves, power outages and an earthquake, was locked down on September 1 after some cases were detected, becoming the biggest Chinese metropolis to be hit by the curbs since Shanghai earlier this year. The lockdown was expected to be lifted on Wednesday, but local government officials said “there are still risks of social spread in some areas,” according to Chengdu authorities. Residents in 16 districts, cities, counties and special zones out of 23 under Chengdu’s jurisdiction remain under lockdown, authorities said. They will be tested for the virus every day, authorities said late Wednesday, without giving a date for lifting the lockdown. Some areas have been released from full lockdown, but residents still have to undergo mass testing on Friday and Sunday. Residents of areas no longer under full quarantine are prohibited from going to other areas and are discouraged from leaving Chengdu for non-essential reasons. Policies will be “dynamically adjusted as the epidemic evolves,” the statement said. News of the extended lockdown sparked concerns that global supply chains could face further disruption. Chengdu is home to a major factory for Apple suppliers Foxconn – which makes iPads and MacBooks – and Jabil, which makes MacBook components. Both suppliers were already dealing with the electricity crisis caused by China’s unprecedented heatwave. On Thursday, the local government reported 116 new local cases, up from 121 a day earlier. Of the cases reported, 57 were symptomatic and 59 were asymptomatic. The major city was locked down last week as cases surged in many areas, allowing authorities to complete another round of mass testing. It said in an official statement that residents should “stay at home as a matter of principle” to fight a new wave of infections. Each household will be allowed to send one person to buy groceries and basic goods a day, provided they have tested negative in the previous 24 hours, the notification said. About 90% of flights at Chengdu’s Shuangliu Airport were canceled on Monday. China this year has struggled to contain the highly contagious Omicron variant, imposing varying degrees of quarantine on cities to stop its spread. Shanghai, locked down for two months in April and May, was one of the most prominent cities affected by China’s so-called “dynamic zero-Covid policy”, where infections must be wiped out when they appear. The flare-ups in recent months come in a year when President Xi Jinping is widely expected to secure a third term as China’s leader at a congress of the ruling Communist Party every five years in mid-October. Ahead of the conference and the week-long National Day holiday in early October, more and more cities are urging residents to refrain from non-essential out-of-town travel in the face of Covid outbreaks. have been reported in every region and province in recent weeks. With Reuters
