China braced for renewed lockdowns as Omicron subvariant spreads

China is at risk of more frequent lockdowns and mass testing as officials struggle to contain the spread of the highly transmissible BA.5 Omicron subvariant, experts said, despite the damage restrictions have already wrought on the world’s biggest consumer market.

Forty-one Chinese cities are under full or partial lockdowns or district-based controls, covering 264mn people in regions that account for about 18.7 per cent of the…