At 31k, China Covid cases break April record

Resurgence Casts se On Investor Hopes For Easing Of Zero-Covid Policy

Beijing: China reported record high Covid-19 infections on Thursday, with cities nationwide imposing localised lockdowns, mass testing and other curbs that are fuelling frustration and darkening the outlook for the world’s second largest economy. The National Health Commission (NHC) recorded 31,444 locally transmitted cases on Wednesday — surted cases on Wednesday — surpassing the previous peak of 29,317 recorded April 13, when the commercial hub of Shanghai was crippled by a city-wide lockdown of its 25 million residents that would last two months. This time, however, big outbreaks are numerous and far-flung, with the biggest in the southern city of Guangzhou and southwestern Chongqing, although hundreds of new infections are reported daily in cities such as Chengdu, Jinan, Lanzhou and Xian.