One million people have been locked down in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, after four COVID-19 cases were discovered, BBC reports.
Regular testing in the city, which has a population of 12 million, uncovered two asymptomatic cases on Tuesday, July 26.
Two more asymptomatic cases were discovered through contact tracing, triggering a lockdown in the city's Jiangxia district.
The cases in Wuhan, where COVID-19 was first detected in early 2020, come as a new report looking into the origins of the virus states there is “compelling evidence” that it started at the infamous Huanan seafood and wildlife market.
READ MORE: Does New Research Point to COVID-19 Origin?
For people in China, snap lockdowns are never a good sign. Not only do they cause huge disruption to the lives of those unfortunate enough to be caught up in them, but they also highlight that zero-COVID is not easing up.
While the rest of the world has all but removed COVID-19 restrictions, China remains firmly committed to mass testing, lockdowns and rigorously checking the movement of people through travel codes.
A public sector employee working in the city of Guangzhou, who asked to remain anonymous, told That’s: “If we want to leave the province, we have to apply, and most people don’t get approved.
“One of my colleagues missed the birth of his first child because his wife was in her hometown and his boss rejected his application to leave Guangdong for one week.”
Many parents have been told by schools that they should not leave their respective provinces 14 days prior to the start of the new school term.
However, it is unclear whether they are legally allowed to put such implementations in place and how they will check it.
Last month, China’s travel code reduced the time it tracks a person’s travel history from 14 to 7 days.
READ MORE: Travel Code History Reduced from 14 to 7 Days
[Cover image via Pixabay]
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