China shuts business center of Shenzhen to fight virus surge

By JOE McDONALD
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — China has responded to a spike in coronavirus infections by shutting down its southern business center of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people. Meanwhile, authorities restricted access to Shanghai by suspending bus service. Everyone in Shenzhen will undergo three rounds of testing. All businesses except those that supply food, fuel and other necessities were ordered to close or work from home. Shenzhen is home to some of China’s biggest companies including telecom equipment giant Huawei and Tencent, operator of the popular WeChat message service. In Hong Kong, a health official warned the public not to assume the territory’s deadly outbreak was under control as the government reported over 32,000 new cases, down from above above 50,000 after curbs were imposed.