China's COVID epicentre shifts to Guangzhou, more lockdowns loom - Reuters

BEIJING, Nov 8 (Reuters) - New coronavirus cases surged successful Guangzhou and different Chinese cities, authoritative information showed connected Tuesday, with the planetary manufacturing hub becoming China's latest COVID1-9 epicentre and investigating the city's quality to debar a Shanghai-style lockdown.

Nationwide, caller locally transmitted infections climbed to 7,475 connected Nov. 7, according to China's wellness authority, up from 5,496 the time earlier and the highest since May 1. Guangzhou accounted for astir a 3rd of the caller infections.

The summation was humble by planetary standards but important for China, wherever outbreaks are rapidly tackled erstwhile they surface. Economically captious cities, including the superior Beijing, are demanding much PCR tests for residents and locking down neighbourhoods and adjacent districts successful immoderate cases.

The crisp rebound volition trial China's quality to support its COVID measures surgical and targeted, and situation the expectations of investors that the world's second-largest system could soon reopen its borders oregon adjacent backmost disconnected from its zero-tolerance approach.

The yuan weakened against the dollar and Chinese stocks slipped connected Tuesday arsenic the rising COVID lawsuit load eroded optimism astir China's reopening its borders, unopen to astir visitors including tourists since 2020.

Guangzhou, superior of Guangdong province, reported 2,377 caller section cases for Nov. 7, up from 1,971 the erstwhile day. It was a melodramatic leap from double-digit increases 2 weeks ago.

As cases surged, the sprawling confederate city, dubbed the "factory level of the world", surpassed the bluish Inner Mongolia metropolis of Hohhot arsenic China's existent COVID epicentre, successful its astir superior outbreak ever.

Many of Guangzhou's districts, including cardinal Haizhu, person imposed varying levels of curbs and lockdowns. But, truthful far, Guangzhou has resisted a broad lockdown similar the 1 successful Shanghai earlier this year.

Shanghai, presently not facing a COVID resurgence, went into a lockdown successful April and May aft reporting respective 1000 caller infections regular successful the past week of March.

"We person been moving from location for the past mates of days," said Aaron Xu, who runs a institution successful Guangzhou.

"Only a fewer compounds person been locked up truthful far. Mostly we are seeing disruptions successful the signifier of nationalist transit services being suspended and compound information barring couriers and nutrient delivery. And we person to bash PCR tests each day."

OTHER CITIES

Elsewhere successful Guangdong province, the country's biggest aerial amusement kicked disconnected connected Tuesday successful Zhuhai, with immoderate attendees and delegates abruptly uncovering themselves blocked from the lawsuit owed to COVID measures amid rising cases successful the coastal city.

Zhengzhou, superior of cardinal Henan state and a large accumulation basal for Apple (AAPL.O) supplier Foxconn (2317.TW), reported 733 caller section cases for Nov. 7, much than doubling from a time earlier.

In Beijing, authorities detected 64 caller section infections, a tiny uptick comparative to Guangzhou and Zhengzhou, but capable to spark a caller burst of PCR tests for galore of its residents and a lockdown of much buildings and neighbourhoods.

"The lockdown concern has continued to deteriorate rapidly crossed the state implicit the past week, with our in-house China COVID lockdown scale rising to 12.2% of China's full GDP from 9.5% past Monday," Nomura wrote successful a enactment connected Monday.

"We proceed to judge that, portion Beijing whitethorn fine-tune immoderate of its COVID measures successful coming weeks, those fine-tuning measures could beryllium much than offset by section officials' tightening of the zero-COVID strategy."

In the southwest metropolis of Chongqing, the metropolis reported 281 caller section cases, much than doubling from 120 a time earlier.

Chongqing officials person enactment caller curbs connected areas successful astatine slightest 4 districts, closing immoderate karaoke lounges, creation halls and amusement venues, successful a concern which a section authoritative described arsenic "complex and severe".

In the coal-producing portion of Inner Mongolia, the metropolis of Hohhot reported 1,760 caller section cases for Nov. 7, trending higher from 1,013 a time earlier.

Reporting by Ryan Woo, Bernard Orr, Liz Lee, Jing Wang and Josh Ye; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Stephen Coates

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