Citizens in Beijing line up to take nucleic acid tests on Nov. 8. On Sunday, the capital saw a record daily number of new cases, with 237 confirmed cases and 170 asymptomatic cases detected. Photo: VCG

A woman prays at the door of Yonghe Palace, which closed to the public on Friday due to a spike in Covid cases. The Chinese mainland reported 16,203 new Covid-19 cases for Sunday, the highest count since late April. Photo: IC Photo

A policeman guides a pedestrian in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong province, on Monday. Besides Beijing, Guangzhou and Chongqing also reported on Sunday their worst daily count of cases since the pandemic began. Photo: VCG

The Hongya Cave, a famous structure located in Southwest China’s Chongqing municipality, turned off its lights on Friday. Chongqing, a city of more than 32 million people, saw a jump in cases to 2,297 on Sunday, compared to 1,820 reported the previous day. Photo: VCG

A disease control worker takes cover from the rain in Shenyang, Northeast China’s Liaoning province, on Saturday. That city reported three confirmed cases and two asymptomatic cases for Sunday. Photo: VCG

Disease control staff take samples for nucleic acid tests of residents in Urumqi, the capital of Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Thursday. Urumqi reported 20 symptomatic cases and 611 asymptomatic cases on Sunday, despite strict lockdown measures. Photo: VCG

Epidemic prevention staff check the travel information of outbound drivers at the exit of an expressway toll station in Northwest China’s Gansu province, on Thursday. Gansu reported seven confirmed cases and 517 asymptomatic cases on Sunday. Photo: VCG

People in Tianjin line up to take nucleic acid tests on Sunday. The municipality reported 81 new locally transmitted cases that day, of which six are symptomatic and 75 are asymptomatic. Photo: VCG