(Bloomberg) -- Shanghai reported its first increase in Covid-19 cases in six days, a setback for a city still in the midst of an unprecedented lockdown.
The financial hub reported 15,032 infections and 52 deaths for Thursday, up from 10,662 cases on Wednesday. Most of the city’s 25 million residents have been confined to their homes for a month or more.
Read more: Xi in a Bind Over Who to Blame for Shanghai’s Covid Outbreak
Beijing reported 49 cases for Thursday, down slightly from 50 on Wednesday, suggesting a mass-testing drive in the capital is yet to find signs of a wider outbreak.
Cities across the country are rolling out swift measures from mass-testing drives to lockdowns for just a mere handful of Covid-19 cases, aiming to keep flareups at bay and avoid the economic and social hardship endured in Shanghai.
Hangzhou, an e-commerce hub a short train ride from Shanghai, started a mass testing drive earlier this week. Schools in Beijing will start their Labor Day holiday early, and don’t have a firm return date. And the port city of Qinhuangdao, along with Yiwu -- known for its production of Christmas decorations -- have gone into full or partial lockdowns.
Read more: China Faces Bleak Holiday Season as Covid Zero Disrupts Travel
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