Shanghai and Beijing went back on fresh Covid-19 alert after parts of China's largest economic hub started imposing new lockdown restrictions while the most populous district in the Chinese capital shut entertainment venues.
Both cities had eased widespread Covid curbs recently after a decline in new cases. However, the country has stuck with a "dynamic zero-Covid" policy aimed at shutting down transmission chains as soon as possible.
The sprawling Minhang district in Shanghai, home to more than 2 million people, said it will conduct nucleic acid tests for all residents on 11 June and ordered residents to stay home during the period.
Several other street-level government authorities in other districts of the city have also issued notices saying residents will be subject to two days of confinement and another 12 days of rigorous testing starting from today.