China increases efforts to control Covid outbreaks ahead of Winter Olympics

A health worker carries out a Covid test in Xi’an (Li Yibo/Xinhua via AP)

China is redoubling efforts to control new virus outbreaks with a lockdown of the 13 million residents of the northern city of Xi’an following a spike in coronavirus cases.

The measure comes just weeks before the country hosts the Winter Olympics in Beijing, roughly 621 miles to the west.