China locks down 65 million, discourages holiday travel

BEIJING (AP) — China has locked down 65 million citizens under tough COVID-19 restrictions and is discouraging domestic travel during upcoming national holidays. Most of the 21 million people in the southwestern city of Chengdu are confined to their apartments or residential complexes while in the eastern port city of Tianjin classes have ben moved online after 14 new cases were reported. China recorded 1,552 new daily cases across a nation of 1.4 billion people. Despite the relatively low number of infections, authorities have adhered to a “zero-COVID” policy requiring lockdowns, quarantines and the confining of people suspected of being in close contact with any confirmed case. Sept. 10-12 is China’s mid-autumn festival, the country’s second-most important holiday after the Lunar New Year.