Nov. 26 (UPI) — Government officials in the Chinese city of Urumqi lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in parts of the municipality on Saturday following major protests and a deadly fire that killed 10 people.
The capital of the northwestern Xinjiang province has been under severe restrictions since August.
In Urumqi, residents have faced a lockdown since Aug. 10, one of China’s longest and toughest COVID-19 residential restrictions.
Last week, the city updated its controls that allowed residents in districts that have reported no cases for five days in a row to leave home in an “orderly and controlled” manner.
Video on social media appears to show a throng of protesters in Urumqi following the deadly fire, the BBC reported. Protestors also gathered in front of a government building.
The blaze in a tall residential building broke out on the 15th floor late Thursday and took firefighters around three hours to get under control. The number and extent people injured in the fire wasn’t immediately clear, however multiple people were taken to local hospitals.
The fire engulfed two floors of the complex and was blamed on a faulty power strip in a bedroom.
City officials apologized on Friday during a news conference, offering their condolences to the families of the victims of the fire.
Authorities also denied speculation that evacuation and rescue efforts may have been delayed due to strict COVID-19 restrictions.
The blaze intensified ongoing protests of the lockdown conditions, part of China’s strict “zero covid” policy towards the virus.
China had logged daily coronavirus cases of more than 34,000 in the mainland on Friday, the country’s National Health Commission reported — a new high since the commission started releasing data in early 2020.
Earlier in the week, Chinese authorities said they would move away from citywide lockdowns and instead focus on isolating individual buildings where positive COVID-19 cases are reported.