A worker in a protective suit sits near a residential compound, following the coronavirus disease outbreak in Beijing on November 23, 2022.
But under Beijing's strict zero-Covid policy, even small outbreaks can shut down entire cities and place contacts of infected patients into strict quarantine. The latest figures exceed the 29,390 infections recorded in mid-April when megacity Shanghai was under lockdown, with residents struggling to buy food and access medical care.
The southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou -- where nearly a third of the latest Covid cases were found -- has built thousands of temporary hospital rooms to accommodate patients.A series of new rules announced by the central government earlier this month appeared to signal a shift away from zero-Covid, easing quarantine requirements for entering the country and simplifying a system for designating high-risk areas.