ZERO FREEDOM

Inside world’s strictest lockdown as China bans 13million from going outside as they face starvation & brutal crackdowns

CHINA is desperately clinging onto its "zero Covid" strategy as officials ban 13 million people from going outside as they face starvation and brutal punishments.

The country is racing to control one of its worst outbreaks in a single city since the beginning of the pandemic with a sweeping lockdown and draconian restrictions.

Advertisement
Residents in the city of Xian have been banned from drivingCredit: Alamy
A video showed 'rule breakers' being paraded through the streets in the city of JingxiCredit: Twitter
Medical workers race around the streets of XianCredit: Alamy
City-wide testing has been rolled out to curb the spread of the virusCredit: AFP

China's brutal "zero Covid" policy sees extreme restrictions in the infected areas, tight border control and lengthy quarantines as the country prepares for the Winter Olympics in February.

The 13 million people living in the northern city of Xian have been banned from leaving their homes - even for essential reasons like buying food - to squash the rising tide of Covid infections.

The harsh lockdown comes as a string of hugely positive studies show Omicron IS milder than other strains, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.

Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.

Advertisement

The Sun's Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits' arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.

But China is clearly sticking to its zero-tolerance approach to Covid, with schools and businesses closed down and six sweeping rounds of city-wide testing so far.

Most read in News

SORRY NOT SORRY
Putin makes apology after passenger plane was shot down by Russian missile
DISTURBING ATTACK
Horrific bodycam footage shows guards 'beat handcuffed inmate to death'
XMAS 'KILLER'
Woman, 33, charged with murder after dad-of-6 killed at home on Christmas Day
XMAS 'MURDERS'
Christmas Day 'killer' in court after 'stabbing two women to death'

China has logged 131,300 cases and 5,699 deaths since the pandemic kicked off, but its citizens have faced some of the toughest measures in the world.

Xian, a popular tourist destination, is one of the largest Chinese cities to be locked down since Wuhan was sealed off in January 2020 when the first Covid cases started to emerge.

Advertisement

A total of 1,451 cases have been recorded in Xian since December 9 - the highest tally for any Chinese city in 2021, prompting panic among the authorities.

A whopping 12,000 testing stations have been set up with more than 160,000 workers deployed to curb the outbreak.

Workers have sprayed the entire city with clouds of disinfectant for a “full-scale” deep cleaning.

And officials are punishing people who try to escape the latest lockdown or evade the ramped up rules.

Advertisement

Anyone caught driving risks being jailed after the worst outbreak in 21 months.

Health officials and police will "strictly inspect" vehicles on the roads and those who break the rules could face ten days in detention and a 500 yuan fine (£58).

People living in the shuttered city must only leave their houses to get a Covid test - or in a medical emergency.

Local cops have also hunted down people attempting to duck the tight controls, including one man who tried to wade across the Wei River to get out of town.

Advertisement