Beijing: The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou shut down a neighborhood and ordered residents to stay home Saturday to be tested for the coronavirus following an upsurge in infections that have rattled authorities.
Guangzhou, a business and industrial center of 15 million people north of Hong Hong, has reported 20 new infections over the past week. The number is small compared with India’s thousands of daily cases but alarmed Chinese authorities who believed they had the disease under control.
The spread of infections was fast and strong, the official Global Times newspaper cited health authorities as saying. Saturday’s testing order applied to residents of five streets in Liwan District in the city center.
Outdoor markets, child care centers and entertainment venues were closed. Indoor restaurant dining was prohibited. Grade schools were told to stop in-person classes. People in parts of four nearby districts were ordered to limit outdoor activity.
