China Orders Fresh Lockdown in Megacity Chengdu as Covid Cases Rise

China city Chengdu announced a lockdown as it launched 4 days of citywide Covid-19 testing in bid to battle the outbreak. 

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and one of the largest cities in China, is home to over 21 million people. All residents were ordered to stay at home from 6.00 pm from Thursday (Sep 1), with households allowed to send one person a day to shop for necessities, the city government said in a statement.

Chengdu is the largest city to be shut down since Shanghai was closed for two months earlier this year. It was unclear whether the lockdown would be lifted when the major testing operation ended on Sunday.

Bloomberg reported, quoting a trader from Shanghai Dongwu Jiuying Investment Management Co., that investors panicked after hearing about the lockdown in Chengdu due to the potential big impact of the recent moves and Covid flare ups elsewhere in China.