Covid-19 lockdown announced for 21 million residents in Chinese city

The Chinese metropolis of Chengdu imposed a sweeping city-wide lockdown on September 1 evening, confining 21 million residents to their homes as the country doubles down on its zero-COVID-19 policy ahead of a key Communist Party meeting.

The lockdown requires all residents to stay at home from 6 p.m. on September 1 except for mandatory COVID-19 testing. Mass testing will take place from September 1 to 3, CNN reports referring to the city government.

The city's digital system used to register COVID tests has crashed repeatedly due to the sudden surge in entries, resulting in long lines at some testing sites, according to residents on social media.

Households can send one person out for grocery shopping once per day with a negative test, and residents with emergency requests such as seeking medical care must gain approval from a neighbourhood committee.

All businesses are to be shut down except for supermarkets, pharmacies and hospitals. Restaurant dining is also being suspended, with only takeaways allowed.

This is China's largest city-wide lockdown since Shanghai, the financial hub of 25 million people, emerged from a painful two-month lockdown in June.