China reports first Covid deaths in six months as Beijing cases rise

Three people died in the capital over the weekend and officials have called for residents to avoid non-imperative' travel

China reported the deaths of three people in Beijing over the weekend as its first fatalities from Covid-19 in six months, with cases rising despite a stringent zero-Covid policy.

China is the last major economy still welded to a no-tolerance policy on the virus and has enforced snap lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines even as the rest of the world adjusts to living with Covid.