Just ahead of Communist Party conclave, China's Covid cases hit three-month high

The coronavirus cases in China have reached a three-month high despite increase in measures to curb the infections, just ahead of a key conclave of the ruling Communist Party.

Shanghai had earlierclosed its Disneyland over a single COVID-19 case, as Chinese authorities press ahead with their zero-infection strategy before the Winter Olympics.

China had reduced most domestic cases to a trickle throughout the pandemic, but a recent flare-up has tested Beijing's determination to eliminate Covid-19.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

According to China's National Health Commission, a rise of 93 new local symptomatic cases has been witnessed since the country's last major outbreak.

This comes despite heavy restrictions on travel, temperature screening in public places, and cutting back on all non-essential gatherings.

The highest-ranking members of the Communist Party are going to meet next week in a conclave organised in Beijing. Local residents have been asked to stockpile "daily necessities."

It will be the central committee's sixth and penultimate so-called plenum of its five-year term before the next big Party Congress in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to push through a resolution that will cement his authority and legacy and strengthen his case for a precedent-breaking third term starting next year.

The novel coronavirus has killed nearly five million people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from the John Hopkins University.

The World Health Organization estimates the pandemic's overall toll could be two to three times higher than official records, due to the excess mortality linked to Covid-19.

(With inputs from agencies)