Covid Cases Surge in China

Protests have erupted across mainland China against the Beijing government’s strict zero-Covid policies. Sparked by a deadly tower block fire in Urumqi, in the western region of Xinjiang, that claimed the lives of 10 people, demonstrations spread to several cities including Beijing and Shanghai. According to Al Jazeera, protesters say rescue services were unable to reach the residents due to barriers installed as part of lockdown measures.

Despite widespread lockdowns, Covid cases are rising once more in China. According to data collected by John Hopkins University, numbers have surged over the past weeks, surpassing 46,500 new daily cases as of November 27. Most of these are reportedly the Omicron variant.