China announces lockdown for four cities in 2022

China has imposed a lockdown in four major cities in 2022, the highest number in the two years since the virus first emerged. People living in China have experienced more lockdowns in 2022 than in the previous two years, when the pandemic first emerged and Wuhan was closed. In 2021, the country only imposed a lockdown in the cities of Shijiazhuang and Xian. However, in 2022, the number of cities that have been in lockdown has increased to four, including the painful two-month lockdown in Shanghai. The increasing risk of quarantine underscores how life in the country’s 17 megacities has changed drastically due to the emergence of more contagious virus variants. While the number of infections is lower than in many countries, China is still following the guidelines set out in its Zero Covid policy, aiming to completely stop the infection.