Emergency level raised in Beijing to control spike in new Covid cases

China has raised its emergency warning to its second-highest level – cancelling more than 60 percent of flights into Beijing in an effort to control a worrying spike in new Covid cases.

Officials there described the situation as “extremely grave” as they began testing around 700,000 people, and imposed tighter restrictions on movement around the wholesale market that has been linked to the new infections.

Our health and social care editor Victoria Macdonald has more.