China is reimposing coronavirus blocks on 20 million residents as cases start to rise, reaching its highest daily case count in six months on Monday.
85 of new Monday symptomatic infection transmitted locally cases and 42 similar new cases reported on Tuesday by the National Health Commission of China prompted many areas of China to re-implement blocking protections before one of China’s biggest holidays in February, the Lunar New Year.
Most of the roadblocks are taking place near the northern part of China, where they are facing one of the coldest winters on record, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Many of the new cases are being seen around Bejing, the capital of China, in Hebei province, in the north of the country.
One of the biggest blockages that occurred was in Hebei’s largest metropolis, Shijiazhuang. They sent their 11 million residents into confinement last Thursday.
Deputy Mayor Meng Xianghong made a announcement that cars could not leave the city and that rural areas have been weak points in the fight against the pandemic.
He said it has been confirmed that some of the new cases are of people who attended weddings and funerals.
The increase in cases comes almost a year after China’s blockade in Wuhan, the starting point of the pandemic outbreak. Local governments are encouraging citizens to limit meetings and not travel, offering extra money to workers who do not travel on their next vacation.
The city of Langfang imposed a one-week blockade of its five million residents on Tuesday, while tests are being implemented across the city.
China has used blockades to stem the spread of the virus in its country, but there are many international complaints about the lack of transparency in China’s cases. Prime Minister Li Keqiang discouraged any underreporting of the total number of cases on Saturday.