Tens of millions of people were confined in China on Wednesday due to a spike in Covid-19 infections, raising fears in Shanghai of the return of draconian restrictions.China's largest city was confined for two months in the spring and the strict conditions imposed exasperated some of its 25 million inhabitants.Since June 1, most restrictions have been lifted, but some neighborhoods remain temporarily closed after the detection of some cases.But there has been a surge in infections since the weekend, with Shanghai reporting 24 new cases on Wednesday.Authorities launched a new round of mass testing in half of Shanghai's districts and closed karaoke bars on Wednesday after detecting some infections originating from these establishments.Five weeks after the lifting of the confinement, a part of the inhabitants fear that the restrictions will return."I don't really want to do it, it's useless," Alice Chan, a resident, told AFP, finally giving up for fear of losing her health certificate."People are no longer afraid of covid, they are afraid of being locked up in their house," said Yao, a resident of Shanghai who did not want to give his last name.Some residents reported Tuesday on social media that they received food rations from the government, as they did months ago."Let me tell you a scary story: Putuo district is sending vegetables again," a resident posted on the WeChat network.- The zero covid policy, to the test -The Ministry of Health reported 300 new cases on Wednesday throughout the country.Three issues stopped through the referendums in the votes in Switzerland on May 15.The main affected area is Anhui province (east), where 1.7 million inhabitants of two rural cantons are currently confined.More than a thousand cases have been registered since last week, with infections currently reaching the province of Jiangsu (east), bordering Shanghai and a heavy manufacturing region.The large city of Xi'an (north), with 13 million inhabitants, was placed under "temporary control measures" after detecting 29 infections since Saturday.Once the imperial capital, Xi'an is known throughout the world for its famous "terracotta warriors" of China's first emperor.Public entertainment venues, including pubs, internet cafes and karaoke bars, were closed from midnight on Wednesday, the local government said.State media showed footage of Xi'an residents queuing for tests after midnight on Tuesday, as authorities insist the city is not on lockdown.The city's outbreak is attributed to the BA.5.2 subvariant of omicron, which is more transmissible and eludes immunity.This subvariant was also detected in Beijing, although the authorities considered on Wednesday that the epidemic is "under control".Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter with a selection of the most interesting articles in your email.The capital, however, reinforced the sanitary measures: as of July 11, libraries, museums and cinemas will only be accessible to vaccinated people.The rebound is a challenge for President Xi Jinping, who last week reaffirmed his commitment to China's zero-Covid policy.The government considers this strategy necessary to avoid medical costs and protect the elderly, with a low vaccination rate.But its impact on economic activity is very high and many companies close or operate at idle.The omicron variant remains a "problem of great importance to the Chinese economy," warns economist Ting Lu of Nomura bank.SWI swissinfo.ch - business unit of the Swiss radio and television company SRG SSRYour data is used to fill in some fields of the form.A confirmation email has been sent to your mailbox.Click on the link included in the email to activate your account.Enter your email address.You will receive a link to reset your password.An email to reset your password has been sent to your mailbox.Please click the link in the e-mail to reset your password.