Authorities in the capital of China's Hebei province strengthened travel restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus as the country reported the biggest rise in daily Covid-19 cases in more than five months.

Hebei accounted for 51 of the 52 local cases reported by the National Health Commission. This compared with 20 cases reported in the province, which surrounds Beijing, a day earlier.

Authorities in Shijiazhuang, Hebei's capital, have launched mass testing drives and banned gatherings to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, according to Reuters.

Chinese state television reported that the city has now banned passengers from entering its main railway station. The city previously required travellers to present a negative nucleic acid Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours before boarding a train or an airplane in the province.