Multinational companies (MNC) have halted some operations as China widens its Covid lockdowns – among its biggest since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, BBC reported.

Tens of millions of people across the country face restrictions, including the entire Jilin province and technology hub Shenzhen, as authorities report record numbers of cases.

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Toyota, Volkswagen and Apple supplier Foxconn are among the affected firms.

The lockdowns have raised concerns that crucial supply chains may be disrupted, said the BBC report.

China on Tuesday reported a record high of more than 5,000 cases, most of it in Jilin.

All 24 million residents of the north-eastern province were placed under quarantine orders on Monday.

It is the first time China has restricted an entire province since the Wuhan and Hebei lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic.

Jilin residents have been banned from moving around, and anyone wanting to leave the province must apply for police permission.

It came a day after a five-day lockdown was placed on the 12.5 million residents of the southern city of Shenzhen, with all buses and subway services suspended.

On Tuesday, authorities in Langfang city which borders the capital Beijing, as well as Dongguan in the southern province of Guangdong, also imposed immediate lockdowns.