China Reports 10,000 New Virus Cases

BEIJING (AP) – China’s capital Beijing has closed city parks and imposed other restrictions as the country faces a new wave of COVID-19 cases. Elsewhere, more than 5 million people were under lockdown Friday in the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou and the western megacity of Chongqing. The country reported 10,729 new cases on Friday, almost all of them testing positive while showing no symptoms. With the bulk of Beijing’s 21 million people undergoing near daily testing, another 118 new cases were recorded. Chinese leaders promised Thursday to respond to public frustration over its strict “zero-COVID” strategy that has confined millions to their homes and severely disrupted the economy. No details were given on how the government planned to ease measures.