A resurgence of Covid-19 infections in northern China has forced two small cities to suspend public transport and tighten control over residents' movement, as the country has shown no willingness to go easy on local outbreaks, Reuters reports.

China has reported 21 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases with confirmed symptoms in the last 24 hours, official data shows, marking the highest daily count since mid-November. Almost all of the new local cases were detected in the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia.

The latest cases came shortly after a few other northern cities, hit hard in China's biggest Delta outbreak, which started mid-October, had contained their clusters this month and gradually lifted curbs, indicating it has become harder for China to stay clear of local flare-ups.