China reports more than 100 new Covid-19 cases as New Year holiday exodus looms

– A + A BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Jan 18): China reported more than 100 new Covid-19 cases for the sixth consecutive day, with rising infections in the north-east fuelling concern of another wave when hundreds of millions of people travel for the Lunar New Year holiday. Tough new controls in the city of Gongzhuling in Jilin province, which has a population of about one million people, bring the total number of people under lockdown to more than 29 million. According to the Global Times newspaper, at least 11 regions in the provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang, and Jilin have imposed lockdowns and introduced…