Chinese city shuts down once more to prevent a COVID “explosion”

Xi’an’s shops, schools, and eateries will be closed for a week, according to officials; after the Chinese city reported a few COVID-19 cases as outbreaks around the country; put a strain on Beijing’s zero-tolerance viral strategy.

China is the last developed country to commit to a zero-COVID approach; including travel restrictions, quarantines, and temporary lockdowns; in an effort to eradicate new infections.

According to official announcements, 18 cases are in a cluster that happened by the fast-spreading Omicron type; A historic metropolis of 13 million people; that saw a month-long lockdown at the end of last year.

Xi’an will undertake “seven-day interim control measures,” according to city official Zhang Xuedong; in order to “enable society to calm down as much as possible; restrict movement… and cut the danger of cross-infection.”

To protect against all potential threats and covert dangers; and to adamantly avoid a boom in community spreading, Zhang remarked; “We must race against both time and the virus.”

The municipal administration said in a notice that all public entertainment establishments; including bars, internet cafes, and karaoke bars, will close at midnight on Wednesday.