China Records Most COVID-19 Cases, Hainan Announces Extended Lockdown

JAKARTA - A number of cities in China's Hainan Province extended lockdowns on Friday, with some restrictions expected to last until the weekend, while Lhasa in Tibet also tightened restrictions, to contain the country's new COVID-19 cluster.

Under a 'zero-dynamic COVID' policy that aims to stop the spread of any outbreak quickly, local governments have imposed a shorter lockdown, in which people are prohibited from making unnecessary movements for a few days or weeks.

Such a lockdown is less 'painful' than the two-month virus battle that Shanghai fought in the spring. However, the increasing deployment of Omicron variants across China, could lead to more cities being subject to the measure along with potential disruption to local businesses.

In Hainan Province, the region in China currently worst-hit by the outbreak, the cities of Dongfang and Chengmai with a total population of about 900,000 announced an extension of their population lockdown on Friday, from a maximum of one week.

Haikou, the capital city of Hainan Province, put its citizens on lockdown between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. local time on Friday, following similar restrictions during peak hours on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Meanwhile, several million residents in other cities in Hainan, including Sanya, are under lockdown without knowing when it will be lifted.

Separately in Tibet, the largest city of Lhasa has told residents not to go out unless they have special and urgent things to do between Friday and Monday, when the COVID-19 response team is disinfecting key areas of the city.

Outside Hainan and Tibet, smaller cities announced new lockdowns, including Fengcheng in Jiangxi Province and Kuqa in Xinjiang Province.

Mainland China reported 1,851 infections of the new domestically transmitted coronavirus as of Aug. 11, of which 648 were symptomatic and 1,203 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Friday.

The Shanghai financial center reported seven new local cases on Aug. 11, while the Shenzhen technology center reported one new local case. The capital, Beijing, reported no new local cases. The new cases were reported in more than a dozen provinces, regions and cities, but mostly in Hainan.

As for deaths from COVID-19, Chinese authorities did not record any additions, with the number remaining as before, 5,226 deaths.