China has introduced lockdown measures in its two biggest cities, in a bid to stamp out COVID outbreaks

Beijing and Shanghai are both in complete lockdown, where residents are undergoing a series of tests to minimise China’s COVID spread.

Around 165 million residents are reported to be under the measures.

Shanghai is at the centre of the latest outbreak, reporting upwards of 10 thousand new cases a day.

Meanwhile, Beijing officials have shut schools and imposed targeted lockdowns on some residential buildings to confine the outbreak.

Shanghai’s month long lockdown

This week, Shanghai entered its fifth week of restrictions.

Strict stay-at-home orders mean citizens can only leave home to get tested.

This has created food and medical shortages in the city, as people rely on the state for supplies.

In addition to this, reports of people being fenced into residential buildings surfaced this week, raising concerns from human rights advocates.

Yaqiu Wang of the Human Rights Watch says people are suffering “tremendously” because of the lockdown.

“a lot of people have died, not from Covid but from not being able to access medical care for their non Covid related illnesses,”

yaqiu wang, human rights watch

On Wednesday, Shanghai authorities announced neighborhoods with no cases in the past two weeks can start to ease lockdown measures.

It is unclear how long freedoms will last, with lockdowns set to be reinstated if a single case is recorded.

Beijing’s fight to avoid Shanghai-style restrictions

Today the Chinese government intensified lockdown measures in Beijing, with the suspension of all schools, weddings and funerals.

After a rise in cases this week, there had been widespread speculation that the city could be facing enhanced restrictions.

This prompted a comprehensive round of testing, covering 20 million residents, approximately 90 per cent of the city’s population.

The testing spree incited fears of lockdown amongst citizens, and sparked incidents of panic buying as residents look to stock up on supplies before being placed under wider restrictions.

“I can understand the panic, given what happened in Shanghai.”

Shi Wei, resident of beijing

Elsewhere across the country, partial lockdowns are in place for 27 other cities.

By Bryan Hoadley