China locks down city the size of London after 17 Covid cases found
China has locked down a city of some 9.3m people, a similar population to that of London, after just 17 cases of Covid-19 were found.
It comes as China reported its highest daily number of new cases since January on Tuesday and shot down plans to investigate the Covid-19’s origin.
A senior Chinese health official rejected the next stage of a World Health Organisation’s (WHO) investigation into where and how the pandemic began.
The WHO’s probe includes plans to audit labs and markets in the city of Wuhan – where has been suspected the virus first emerged.
Those living in the now-locked-down city, Nanjing, will have to produce a negative Covid-19 test within 48 hours of them leaving the city.
The cluster of cases was found among cleaners at a local airport in the eastern Chinese city – which caused over 500 flights to be cancelled.
Mainland China saw 65 new confirmed cases for 19 July, compared with 31 the day before, the National Health Commission said in a statement earlier in the week.
China has been tough on cases since the pandemic emerged and is now set to undergo the task of testing all 9.3m residents before restrictions ease.
Under the current lockdown, one neighbourhood has been closed off completely, while people living in higher-risk communities in the city are required to stay at home.