Anger in China after officials break into homes in hunt for Covid contacts

Officials in Guangzhou apologise for violent' behaviour after 84 homes broken into during search for possible close contacts

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Authorities in southern China have apologised for breaking into the homes of people who had been taken to a quarantine hotel, in the latest example of heavy-handed virus-prevention measures that have sparked a rare public backlash.

State media said that 84 homes in an apartment complex in Guangzhou city's Liwan district had been opened in an effort to find any close contacts" hiding inside and to disinfect the premises.