China steps up anti-Covid measures in megacities as infections increase

Shanghai and other big Chinese cities, including Shenzhen and Xian, have ramped up testing for Covid-19, as infections ticked up after a week-long holiday, with some local authorities hastily closing schools, entertainment venues and tourist spots.

Infections have risen this week to the highest since August, with the uptick coming after increased domestic travel during the National Day "Golden Week", earlier this month.

Authorities reported 2,089 new local infections for October 10, the highest since August 20.

While most of the cases were found in tourist destinations, including scenic spots in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, megacities that are often the source of well-heeled and well-travelled tourists have started to report more cases this week.

China's financial capital Shanghai, a city of 25 million people, reported 28 new local cases for October 10 — the fourth day of double-digit increases.

Shanghai — keen to avoid a reprise of the economically devastating and psychologically scarring lockdown in April and May, said late on Monday that all of its 16 districts were to conduct routine testing at least twice a week, until November 10. That's a step up from once a week, a regime imposed after the earlier lockdown was lifted.

Checks on inbound travellers and in places such as hotels should also be strengthened, municipal authorities said.

The expanding web of preventive measures have already ensnared some residents.

Peter Lee, a long-time British expatriate, was out at lunch with his wife and seven-year-old son last week when he was suddenly notified his apartment block was to be locked down for 48 hours.

Lee and his son checked into a hotel, which was then also locked down due to a prior visit by a virus carrier. Lee's wife, who was planning to join them, had no choice but returned home to be locked in, after which her lockdown was extended.

The father and his son are due to be released on Thursday, while hiss wife won't be released until Sunday.

"It might be that we say, we miss home and we miss mum too much and maybe we just go home and just deal with it, but we also lose another weekend then," Lee told Reuters.

"We're monitoring the situation, because it seems like Shanghai is gradually shutting down anyway and if everything starts to close then there won't be much benefit in being able to come and go."

The Covid preventive steps come days ahead of a key Communist Party congress starting on October 16, where Xi Jinping is widely expected to extend his decade-long leadership for another five years.