China’s COVID-hit Xian City

China’s Xian city has reported an increase in daily COVID-19 infections and local companies curtailed activity as the country’s latest COVID-19 hot spot entered its third day of lockdown.

Xian, a northwest Chinese city of 13 million, detected 75 “domestically transmitted” cases with confirmed symptoms for December 24, its higest daily count of the year and reversing the previous day’s decline, official data showed on Saturday.

Residents are banned from leaving town without clearance from employers or local autorities and households can send only one person to shop for necessities every two days.

Aljazeera/Shakirat Sadiq