Hebei: China locks down 400,000 people after virus spike near Beijing

Officials announced on Sunday that Anxin would be "fully enclosed and controlled".

Only essential workers are allowed to leave their homes, while one member of a household is allowed to go out once a day to shop for necessities.

No non-residents residents will be allowed to enter buildings, communities or villages. Authorities have warned anyone violating the rules will be punished by police.

Anxin is around 150km (90 miles) south of Beijing. Chinese media say there have been 18 cases in the county since the beginning of the recent surge in Beijing two weeks ago.

The area is not nearly as densely populated as China's large urban centres, and local health experts said they were optimistic the spread could be stopped.

...