China’s ecommerce hub faces Omicron flareup just before holiday

The Ant Group Co headquarters in Hangzhou, China. Several employees at Alibaba and Ant said they hadn’t yet been subjected to mandatory companywide testing, as their campuses are located away from the epicenter of the flareup. — Bloomberg

China’s Omicron outbreak spread to its major ecommerce hub days ahead of the Lunar New Year break, the latest of a slew of flareups putting holiday plans for millions of people at risk.

At least seven infections were detected in Hangzhou, a city near Shanghai and home to Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and fintech giant Ant Group Co. There are concerns that cases may increase after one of the patients attended a company gathering along with several hundred people.