"Parts of the east and south withered under extreme temperatures, even as health workers in hazmat suits persisted in a round of mandatory coronavirus tests."

"HONG KONG — As dozens of cities in eastern and southern China issued heat alerts on Tuesday, with some temperature forecasts exceeding 104 degrees over the next 24 hours, health workers conducted outdoor coronavirus tests with packets of frozen snacks strapped to their white hazmat suits. Roofs melted, roads cracked and some residents sought relief in underground air-raid shelters.

The heat wave is forecast to persist for at least two weeks.

The scorching heat reflects a global trend of increasingly frequent episodes of extreme weather driven by climate change. In June, weeks of heat waves plagued northern China, at the same time that floods displaced millions of people in the central and southwestern parts of the country."

Tiffany May and Joy Dong report for the New York Times July 12, 2022. [2]