Beijing shuts parks, museums as China's Covid cases rise

China has reported 28,127 new local cases nationally for Monday, nearing its daily infection peak in April, with cases in the southern city of Guangzhou and the southwestern municipality of Chongqing account for about half of the total. In the capital Beijing, cases have hit a fresh record high, prompting calls for more residents to stay put.

There were two new deaths attributed to Covid-19, compared with three over the weekend, which were China's first since May.

The latest wave is testing recent adjustments China has made to its zero-Covid policy, which asks authorities to be more targeted in their clampdown measures and steer away from the widespread lockdowns and testing that have strangled the economy and frustrated residents.