BEIJING (REUTERS) - China reported on Friday (Jan 21) the lowest daily tally of local Covid-19 cases in nearly two months, after a national strategy to quickly curb flare-ups forced worst-hit cities to lock down affected communities and cut business activity.

China reported 23 domestically transmitted infections with confirmed symptoms for Thursday, official data showed, down from 43 a day earlier.

This marks the fourth consecutive day of decline in local symptomatic cases, with the lowest daily case load since Nov 29.

The central province Henan and the northern city of Tianjin, two areas that have detected most of China's local cases in the past 10 days, each reported fewer than 10 local confirmed infections for Thursday.

Capital Beijing reported five, slightly up from three a day earlier. The southern city of Zhuhai and Xi'an in the north-west also reported a handful of new local cases.

China reported for Thursday two new domestically transmitted asymptomatic cases, which it classifies separately from confirmed cases, in the south-western province of Yunnan.

There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll at 4,636.

As at Jan 20, mainland China had 105,484 confirmed symptomatic cases, including both local ones and those arriving from abroad.