Tag: Virus

China arrests BBC journalist covering Covid protests

London, United Kingdom (AFP) The BBC said on Sunday one of its journalists in China had been arrested and beaten by police while covering protests against the country’s zero-Covid policy. Hundreds of people took to the streets in China’s major cities on Sunday in a rare outpouring of public anger against the state. “The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests […]

China’s ‘iPhone city’ tightens Covid rules after violent protests

  Beijing, China  (AFP) China has ordered six million people into lockdown in a city where violent protests broke out at an iPhone factory over Covid isolation policies and working conditions. Hundreds of workers took to the streets around the vast iPhone factory in Zhengzhou on Wednesday, confronting hazmat-clad personnel wielding batons in a rare display of public anger in China. In the wake of the unrest, Zhengzhou authorities ordered mass testing and an effective […]

China’s ‘iPhone city’ tightens Covid rules after violent protests

BEIJING, China (AFP) — China has ordered six million people into lockdown in a city where violent protests broke out at an iPhone factory over Covid isolation policies and working conditions. Hundreds of workers took to the streets around the vast iPhone factory in Zhengzhou on Wednesday, confronting hazmat-clad personnel wielding batons in a rare display of public anger in China. In the wake of the unrest, Zhengzhou authorities ordered mass testing and an effective […]

Chinese cities cancel mass Covid tests in easing of measures

PÉKIN, China (AFP) — Multiple Chinese cities have cancelled routine mass Covid tests this week, days after Beijing announced limited relaxations of its strict zero-Covid policy which raised hopes of China’s eventual reopening. The National Health Commission (NHC) on Friday issued 20 rules for “optimizing” zero-Covid, where certain restrictions were relaxed to limit its social and economic impact. China reported over 20,000 new infections Wednesday — the highest figure since April — with major outbreaks […]

Hundreds protest southern China Covid lockdowns

Beijing, China | AFP | Protesters in southern China clashed with police in a rare display of public opposition to anti-Covid measures, videos posted online showed, after lockdowns in the area were extended over a surge in infections. Videos circulating on social media since Monday night and verified by AFP showed hundreds taking to the street in the industrial metropolis of Guangzhou, some tearing down cordons intended to keep locked-down residents from leaving their homes. […]

China eases Covid measures, cutting quarantine and scrapping flight bans

  Beijing, China | AFP | by Laurie CHEN / Matthew WALSH China announced the relaxation of some of its hardline Covid-19 restrictions on Friday, after authorities had vowed to stick to a zero-tolerance virus approach despite mounting economic damage. The country is the last major economy welded to a strategy of stamping out virus flare-ups as they occur, through a combination of snap lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines. Top leaders had pledged to […]

China virus cases at six-month high despite grinding lockdowns

by Laurie CHEN Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China reported its highest daily Covid caseload in six months Monday, despite grinding lockdowns that have heavily disrupted manufacturing, education and day-to-day life. Beijing over the weekend quashed hopes that its strict zero-Covid policy — in which spot lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing are employed to quash outbreaks — might be relaxed anytime soon. But a torrent of lockdown-related scandals where residents have complained of inadequate […]

Apple says iPhone output at Foxconn China plant hit by Covid lockdown

  Beijing, China | AFP | Apple said Covid restrictions have “temporarily impacted” production at Foxconn’s vast iPhone factory in central China, after a surge in cases led the Taiwanese tech giant to lock down the world’s largest manufacturer of new devices. Foxconn, Apple’s principal subcontractor, has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases at its Zhengzhou site, leading the company to shutter the vast complex in a bid to keep the virus in check. Panicking […]

Crowds, colour and Covid rules as Hong Kong Rugby Sevens returns

Hong Kong, China | AFP | by James LEGGE Fans of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens shrugged off a three-year pandemic absence as the weekend sporting spectacle kicked off with fancy dress — and Covid rules. Teams from nations as far-flung as Samoa, Spain and South Africa converged for one of Asia’s biggest sports events, which Hong Kong bigwigs hope can prove that normality is on the way for the city. Hong Kong has languished […]

China imposes Covid lockdown on 600,000 people around iPhone plant

  Beijing, China | AFP | by Jing Xuan TENG Chinese authorities imposed lockdowns on 600,000 people in the area surrounding the world’s largest iPhone factory on Wednesday after workers fled to avoid a coronavirus outbreak and the resulting restrictions. All people except Covid-prevention volunteers and essential workers “must not leave their residences except to receive Covid tests and emergency medical treatment”, officials from central China’s Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone said. The move comes after images […]

China to ease mainland residents’ travel to Macau

Beijing, China | AFP | Mainland Chinese residents will be allowed to visit Macau using an online visa system as of Tuesday, officials said, streamlining travel to the world’s largest gambling hub after more than two years of pandemic restrictions. Macau is the only place in China where casinos are legal and the former Portuguese colony once dwarfed even Las Vegas for the scale of bets placed every month. But China’s strict Covid-19 controls have […]

Residents on edge as Uganda reports Ebola cases in Kampala

  Kampala, Uganda | AFP | by Grace Matsiko Uganda has reported 14 confirmed cases of Ebola in the greater Kampala region, the country’s health minister said Monday, but sought to assure anxious residents that the situation in the capital was under control. So far, the death toll across the country from the Ebola epidemic declared in late September has climbed to 44, according to World Health Organisation figures issued last week. Uganda’s health ministry […]