China re-imposes fresh lockdowns as COVID-19 cases surge in 11 provinces

The spread of coronavirus infections worried the Chinese government, which insists on a strict zero-COVID policy to stamp out infections. The outbreak was first detected on October 16 among a tour group of fully vaccinated senior citizens from Shanghai who travelled in several northern regions. 

Hong Kong: China is re-imposing fresh lockdowns amid rising COVID-19 infections, the country recorded more than 100 cases across 11 provinces over the last week.

"Since October 17, there have been multiple scattered local outbreaks in China, and they`re expanding rapidly," Mi Feng, a spokesman at the National Health Commission (NHC), said at a news conference Sunday.

"There is an increasing risk that the outbreak will spread even further," reported CNN. The rapid spread comes despite about 75 per cent of China`s population -- of more than a billion people -- being fully vaccinated, according to Mi.