China locked down 50 million people and has to keep them fed

Chinese authorities are striving to keep 50 million people both isolated and fed in the biggest anti-disease effort ever attempted.

Few governments could attempt such drastic restrictions on a population bigger than South Korea’s or Australia’s.

They are made possible by the ruling Communist Party’s extensive controls on society and experience combating the 2002-03 SARS epidemic.

But the government has released no details of how it is enforcing travel curbs on smaller roads and villages on the outskirts of the vast locked-down area.