On Wednesday, workers widened the lane for bicycles and scooters on Jiangnan avenue in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong province, as the city closed some bus and subway services in a battle against local Covid flare-ups, forcing many to cycle or walk to work. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

A man waits for customers for his scooter transportation service outside a subway station in Yuexiu district, Guangzhou. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

Commuters ride in Guangzhou during evening rush hour. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

Residents queue for nucleic acid tests in Guangzhou’s Haizhu district. The city reported nine local cases on Wednesday, of which eight were detected in Haizhu. The district launched a third round of mass testing on Thursday. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

Traffic on Haizhu Bridge increased during rush hour due to the closure of subway stations. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

A closed subway station in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei on Monday as the local government issued a four-day lockdown notice. Huaqiangbei is known as one of the world’s largest electronics markets. Photo: IC Photo

Barricades are set up on a pedestrian street in Huaqiangbei. Most cases discovered in Shenzhen since Aug. 23 were identified as BF.15, a mutation of the omicron subvariant BA.5.2.1. that was newly detected in China. Photo: IC Photo

A resident rides past closed stores in Huaqiangbei. Shenzhen has closed 28 subway stations, banned restaurant dining and locked down certain areas to battle the outbreak. The city reported 62 local cases on Wednesday. Photo: IC Photo