China has imposed a strict lockdown near Beijing on nearly half a million people after a small surge in COVID-19 cases.
According to a report BBC, after China largely brought the virus under control, hundreds have been infected in Beijing and cases have emerged in neighbouring Hebei province in recent weeks. Anxin's 400,000 residents have been put under strict restrictions after another 14 cases of the virus were reported in the past 24 hours in Beijing, taking the total to 311 since mid-June and spurring the testing of millions of residents.
On Sunday, officials said that Anxin county, which about 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Beijing, will be "fully enclosed and controlled". Only one person from each family will be allowed to go out once a day to purchase necessities such as food and medicine, the county's epidemic prevention task force said in a statement.
The new cases in Beijing have prompted fears of a resurgence of the virus in China. The capital has mass-tested wholesale market workers, restaurant workers, residents of medium and high-risk neighbourhoods and delivery couriers over the past two weeks. At a press conference on Sunday, officials said 8.3 million samples have been collected so far, of which 7.7 million have already been tested.
(Inputs from Agencies)
