China worries over increase in Covid-19 cases as holiday exodus begins

People waiting to board a train at a railway station in Shanghai last week. — Reuters

Urban workers crowded train stations across China’s largest cities earlier this week as the country’s mass migration for Lunar New Year holidays hit high gear, an early sign of economic recovery as officials confirmed a historic plunge due to Covid-19 curbs.

The world’s second-largest economy slowed sharply in the fourth quarter, data showed, dragging 2022 growth down to one its worst performances in nearly half a century after three years of Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns.