Beijing

Beijing residents have been banned from leaving the capital after the UK virus strain was found in the city.

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Two cases linked to the new UK strain was detected in Bejing's Daxing district. The UK strain is believed to be 70 per cent more transferable than the earlier version.

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Residents in Daxing area have been barred from leaving Beijing unless they get special permission from authorities and get a negative test result.

The local Daxing government said meetings of 50 or more people in the area has been banned with weddings postponed and funerals simplified. Schools have also been shut with students asked to study from home.

China has witnessed a surge in coronavirus cases, especially in the past week in the country's northeastern. China reported 103 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, including seven from Beijing with neighbouring Hebei province recording new cases. It is the worst outbreak recorded in the country since March last year.

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Amid a surge in virus cases, Chinese authorities are planning to impose strict COVID-19 testing requirements during the Lunar New Year holiday season when millions of citizens travel across the country.

Authorities have appealed people to stay home during the holiday season.

Meanwhile, authorities in Shanghai began evacuating a neighbourhood near a riverfront after officials discovered at least three new coronavirus cases on Thursday as city officials ramped up testing in an attempt to combat the virus.