**Beijing [CNN]**
China’s National Health Commission reported 26 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases for Monday, according to a statement released Tuesday.
The majority of the new infections — 19 — were reported in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, it said. The northern province of Hebei reported six cases, while the eastern province of Anhui reported one case.
The new cases bring the total number of locally transmitted cases in the current outbreak to 1,757, according to CNN’s tally.
The country also reported 21 new asymptomatic infections, according to the statement. Asymptomatic cases, which China counts separately from confirmed cases, refer to people who have tested positive for the coronavirus but do not show symptoms.
The total number of asymptomatic cases under medical observation now stands at 394, according to the National Health Commission.
China’s latest coronavirus outbreak has spread to at least 20 of the country’s 31 provincial-level regions, with Beijing, Shanghai and the industrial hub of Tianjin all reporting infections.
**Beijing, Shanghai impose new restrictions**
Beijing and Shanghai have both imposed new restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.
Beijing closed all primary and secondary schools from Tuesday, and suspended extracurricular classes and sports events, according to the city’s education bureau.
The city has also stepped up inspections at public venues, including entertainment and sports venues, and ordered them to close if they have not already done so, according to the city’s cultural and tourism bureau.
Shanghai has also suspended offline classes for primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and special education schools, according to the city’s education commission.
Authorities in the city are also restricting access to residential compounds and public venues, and have ordered the suspension of all group activities and gatherings, according to the city government.
**China launches mass testing**
Several regions in China have launched mass testing programs in an effort to contain the outbreak.
Beijing rolled out mass testing on Friday for residents in 11 districts, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.
Shanghai has also launched citywide testing, with plans to test all 26 million residents over the next 10 days, according to local authorities.
Other cities, including Tianjin, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, have also implemented mass testing.
The mass testing programs come as China faces growing pressure to bring the latest outbreak under control. The country has been praised for its handling of the pandemic in the past, but the recent surge in cases has raised concerns about the effectiveness of its zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19.
**WHO: China’s zero-tolerance approach ‘unsustainable’**
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that China’s zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19 is .
