China begins mass testing in manufacturing hub Guangzhou to fight city's worst COVID outbreakMillions of residents of China's southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou have been told to get tested for COVID-19, as infections topped 2,000 for two days running in the city's worst outbreak so far.Key points:- More than half of Guangzhou's population of almost 19 million will be mass tested- China's factory gate prices for October dropped for the first time since December 2020 in part due to strict COVID curbs- Guangzhou authorities are hoping to avoid mass lockdowns like in ShanghaiAs local cases across China reached their highest level since April 30, authorities announced that five districts representing more than half Guangzhou's population of almost 19 million would be mass tested.It comes as China battles a rebound in infections in several economically vital cities, including the capital Beijing, as well as Zhengzhou and Chongqing.Authorities are determined to get on top of the outbreaks and make good on President Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy, without having to impose mass lockdowns of the sort that shut Shanghai earlier this year.Lily Li, a Guangzhou resident, said the outbreak in the city had worsened in the past two days, having spread to Tianhe, just north of Haizhu."