China locks down Shanghai, its biggest city, as Omicron fuels record surge in COVID cases

China's biggest and wealthiest city, Shanghai, is shutting down amid a surge of new COVID-19 cases. The 25 million residents of China's financial capital will be locked down in two stages, starting with the eastern half, which falls under the restrictions from Monday for five days. The lockdown will then shift to the other half of the city.

Streets in the normally bustling metropolis were deserted Monday as the lockdown took effect and all of its 25 million residents were told to line up for COVID tests.

The two-phase lockdown is China's biggest coronavirus closure since the city of Wuhan — believed to be the origin of the pandemic — was shuttered two years ago.