Amidst lockdown, China reports 20,472 new COVID-19 cases

Beijing, Apr 06: China reported 20,472 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday despite widespread lockdowns and mass testing.

Shanghai remains the hotspot despite a massive lockdown of its 25 million people. The restrictions were expanded after the rapid rise in the number of infections.

In Shanghai there were 311 local infections and 16,766 asymptomatic cases. Another 973 cases were reported in Jilin, a northeastern province that has been under lockdown since mid-March.

The current outbreak has surpassed the number of cases found in the early days of COVID-19 before testing was easily available. A report by Bloomberg said that while President Xi Jinping is committed to the pandemic under control, his request to do so with limited economic consequences is getting harder to implement.