China Zero-Covid: Xi'an is closed again as the country detects its first new cases of Omicron subvariant BA.

The city recorded 18 COVID-19 cases from Saturday to Monday, all from Omicron BA 5.2 variant, according to local disease control officials.

BA.5.2 is a substrain of BA.5, which is already prevalent in the United States and appears to evade antibody responses among people previously infected with Covid-19 and those who have been fully vaccinated and boosted, According to the researchers.

This is the first time the variant has been reported in China, which is one of the last places in the world still adhering to a strict anti-coronavirus policy.

On Tuesday, Xi’an city officials announced sweeping restrictions that will shut down parts of the city for seven days from Wednesday.

Recreational, sports and cultural venues, including bars, cinemas, gyms, libraries and museums, were closed; – suspend dining in restaurants and large gatherings, from weddings to conferences; City official Zhang Xiyudong said at a press conference on Tuesday that all places of worship have closed and religious activities banned.

Kindergartens, primary and secondary schools have been ordered to start summer vacation early, while universities have been asked to close their campuses, according to Zhang.

The authorities also closed nine residential neighborhoods classified as “high risk areas”, and prevented residents from leaving their communities.

“The seven-day temporary control measures are aimed at calming the community as much as possible, minimizing mobility … and the risk of transmission,” Zhang said.

The announcement caused an uproar among some Xi’an residents, with many citing the chaos of the city’s month-long strict lockdown between December and January.

During this citywide shutdown, Constant flow of complaints about food shortages, as well as heartbreaking scenes of critical patients – including pregnant women – who have been denied medical care shock and anger across the nation.

Tuesday night, Pictures and videos A post by Xi’an residents on social media showed huge crowds of travelers – many carrying suitcases and large suitcases – outside the train station, rushing to leave the city.

In the city’s Changan district, residents have been ordered to undergo mass Covid tests from midnight until 6am on Wednesday. They are only allowed to leave their community, enter public places and use public transportation after taking the tests, according to a Government Notice.

As of Wednesday, the city of Xi’an had reported 29 local infections.

Meanwhile, in Shanghai, authorities on Tuesday ordered mass testing in 12 of their 16 provinces, in response to a small number of new infections linked to a karaoke bar.

Although the financial center lifted a months-long lockdown on most of its 25 million residents in June, it remains subject to Covid restrictions from frequent testing to targeted closures.

The city has reported 24 local Covid-19 cases as of Wednesday.