China witnesses surge in Covid cases, logs 2,281 new local infections

China on Monday reported 2,281 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday.

Of the new local infections, 1,902 were reported in Jilin, 110 in Fujian, 67 in Liaoning, 43 in Heilongjiang, 31 in Shanghai, 25 each in Shandong and Guangdong, 14 in Jiangxi and 11 in Hebei, Xinhua reproted.

For other provincial-level regions, Tianjin and Hunan each reported eight cases, Henan and Shaanxi each reported seven, Beijing reported six, Gansu reported five, Jiangsu and Yunnan each reported three, Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang and Chongqing each reported two, as per Xinhua.

According to the commission, a total of 57 imported COVID-19 cases were reported on Monday.

China is facing mounting pressure to guard against imported infections amid a recent surge in cases throughout the country.

Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that Beijing will stick to its "zero Covid-19" policy, days after National Health Commission (NHC) released new guidelines easing its control measures.

NHC had uploaded a new document on its website. Titled the Novel Coronavirus Diagnosis And Treatment Plan, it was the ninth revision to a document setting out COVID-19 policy for the country of 1.4 billion.

China's zero-COVID policy is pushing cash-strapped local governments to the brink amid rising health care costs and efforts to control debt.

Analysts said that the local governments in China are facing a growing financial burden to meet Beijing's hardline zero-COVID strategy, according to a think tank, Policy Research Group (POREG).

China is battling its biggest virus surge in two years and numerous cities have imposed travel bans and lockdowns, including tech hub Shenzhen, which have shaken economic stability and global supply chains.

China has clung to a zero-tolerance approach to the virus that relies on stringent lockdowns, mass testing and quarantine in government facilities.