Life in the Covid-hit mainland city of Zhengzhou was returning to normal on Wednesday thanks to a drop in the number of infections.

The capital of Henan province is home to a vast Foxconn factory making Apple iPhones that was the scene of recent worker unrest.

Zhengzhou officials have announced the orderly resumption of businesses, including supermarkets, gyms and restaurants. Public transport has also fully resumed.

Authorities announced the easing of Covid-19 restrictions except in high-risk areas in a press briefing on Tuesday evening.

The daily caseload on the mainland, meanwhile, reached 37,612, of which 4,236 were symptomatic and 33,376 were asymptomatic, excluding imported infections. That's down from 38,421 a day earlier.

No new deaths were reported.

Guangdong accounted for the highest number of cases of all provinces and regions at 8,754, with the majority of them in Guangzhou.

Infections rose in Shanghai and Beijing but declined in Chongqing. (Agencies)