Chinese authorities apologise for breaking into homes to look for Covid contacts

A man gets a throat swab at a testing site (Andy Wong/AP)

Authorities in southern China have apologised for breaking into the homes of people who had been taken to a quarantine hotel in the latest example of harsh coronavirus prevention measures that have sparked a rare public backlash.

State media said that 84 homes in an apartment complex in Guangzhou city’s Liwan district had been opened in an effort to find any “close contacts” hiding inside and to disinfect the premises.