Tourists stuck in China resort city after Covid lockdown

More than 2,000 tourists have been stranded in a Chinese coastal city after a surge in coronavirus cases.

Officials in Beihai locked down urban areas and ordered the mass testing of its 1.9m residents over the weekend.

It comes as concerns grow about the impact of China's "zero-Covid" policy on the world's second largest economy.

Last week, official figures showed the country's economy shrank in the second quarter of this year as Covid-19 restrictions hit firms and consumers.

Beihai, which is a popular summer destination in China's southern Guangxi region, recorded more than 450 infections in the five days to 16 July.

While that level of cases may seem low by international standards it is considered high under the Chinese government's approach to the pandemic.

On Sunday, Beihai's local government said tourists who had not been in contact with anyone who had contracted the virus, or visited medium or high-risk areas, would be allowed to leave if they showed a negative Covid-19 test.

The rest must stay in the city and be quarantined, officials told a news conference.