Urumqi, the capital of China's Xinjiang region, entered a "wartime" regime and put forward emergency plans to prevent Covid-19.

Chinese central television broadcaster CCTV today quoted Urumqi officials at a press conference the same day, saying the city had suspended the gatherings and asked the community not to visit other people's homes.

The Urumqi government also urged residents not to move outside the city if it was not needed and requested nCoV testing with anyone leaving to prevent the virus from spreading.

The Xinjiang government said on Weibo the same day that all new cases and recent asymptomatic cases in the area were reported from the capital Urumqi.

Rui Baoling, director of the Urumqi Disease Prevention and Control Center, said new and asymptomatic cases in the city were recorded in the Tianshan district cluster.

The Urumqi government yesterday unexpectedly ordered the blockade of the city of 3.5 million after recording new cases of nCoV in the community after 149 days of "clean" Covid-19.

The city prohibits most incoming and outgoing flights, and closes the subway and bus service from July 16.

The government's unexpected blockade of Urumqi received both opposition and support from the people.

As of July 17, Xinjiang reported a total of 17 cases of nCoV and 11 asymptomatic cases, while 269 people were under medical surveillance, the regional health committee said.

Covid-19 has appeared in more than 210 countries and territories, making more than 14.1 million infected and more than 600,000 dead.