China locks down city of 13million people ordered to stay indoors due to Covid

An entire city in China has been ordered to stay indoors over new coronavirus fears.

All 13 million residents in the northern city of Xi’an were plunged into a strict lockdown on Wednesday, with only one person per household allowed to leave for necessities every two days.

The city's authorities outlined the rules on its official Weibo social media account and specified only in the event of an emergency should they be broken.

Fleeing from Xi’an has also been outlawed as the city faces not only a new wave of Covid-19 but a mystery hemorrhagic fever too.

Everyone in the city is being tested for both illnesses.

In its statement, the government said residents "should not leave the city unless necessary" and anyone who tries must apply with evidence of "special circumstances".

To enforce the lockdown measures, all stations for long-distance buses have been closed, road checkpoints have been established and according to VariFlight, more than 85% of flights to and from the city's main airport have been grounded.

Inside Xi’an only food shops and pharmacies are open for business after bosses have been told to let employees work from home, CCTV reports.

Anything involving mass gatherings outside have also been put on hold and the museum where the famous 2,000-year-old Terracotta Army is stationed has been closed.

The renewed threat of illness sweeping across China puts its hopes of hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics in February, at risk as Xi’an is not the only city tackling an outbreak.

The games will welcome to the capital thousands of athletes from around the world but all arrivals must test negative for Covid, MailOnline reports.

Wuhan in China was where the first case of coronavirus was detected however thanks to extreme restrictions on travel and personal freedoms, the rate of infection has slowed since the middle of last year.

Just one case has proven to be enough for local authorities to introduce new lockdown measures.

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On the other side of China, Dongxing's 200,000 residents were all told on Tuesday to isolate at home following reports of a new infection.

A potentially deadly haemorrhagic fever has also been making its way through Xi’an since temperatures dropped at the start of winter.

The disease which is rodent-borne can be prevented with a vaccine, local authorities say and have pleaded residents to remain calm about its threat.

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