Shanghai Disneyland closes as China faces worst Covid wave since 2020

Shanghai Disneyland has closed its doors amid China's worst coronavirus wave since the pandemic outbreak more than two years ago.

The theme park did not say how long it would be closed to visitors for as it announced the move on Monday.

China's health commission registered more than 4,300 local infections and asymptomatic cases on Sunday.

Several million people are in lockdown in China, with cities imposing full or partial restrictions on movement. Shanghai, Shenzhen and Tangshan are among the affected cities.

Mass testing is also taking place. In Henan province, students at many universities are not allowed to leave campus.

For more than two years, China managed the pandemic relatively well with its zero-Covid policy, which saw outbreaks brought under control quickly.

But since the arrival of the fast-spreading Omicron variant the numbers have quickly climbed.

Authorities are now following a "dynamic" strategy, which sees strict targeted and short-term restrictions imposed to limit the impact on the economy and everyday life.

In Hong Kong, the zero-Covid strategy has completely failed. Government advisor and Hong Kong University professor Yuen Kwok-yung estimates the number of infected people to be around 2.5 million of the 7.5 million people living in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported.

He did not believe the virus could now be eliminated.

Despite the high infection numbers, Hong Kong's government believes the wave's peak has passed and has announced restrictions will be eased.

The length of quarantine for arrivals will be reduced from 14 days to 7 starting April 1. Flights from nine countries, including the US, France and Britain, will also be allowed to land in Hong Kong again.