COVID "rule-breakers" in China are paraded through the streets by armed police in a brutal crackdown, reports say.

       Pictures reportedly show four people wearing masks and hazmat suits - who are alleged to have flouted the country's strict lockdown rules - being marched in front of crowds in the city of Jingxi yesterday.

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       Alleged Covid rule-breakers are paraded through the streets of China Credit: Twitter 5

       Riot police marched the four suspects in front of crowds in Jingxi Credit: Twitter

       The public shaming involved each suspect being held by two cops while more riot police with guns watched on.

       It comes as a string of hugely positive studies show Omicron IS milder than other strains, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.

       Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.

       The Sun's Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits' arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.

       The four suspects in Jingxi were also accused of transporting illegal migrants as the country's borders remain largely closed due to Covid, Guangxi News reports.

       The sinister parade provided a "real-life warning" to the public and "deterred border-related crimes" in the city which is close to the border with Vietnam, local media reports.

       Meanwhile, the Chinese city of Xi'an was raised to the "strictest" level in an effort to control the country's worst outbreak in 21 months.

       Although no cases of the Omicron variant have yet been detected in Xi'an, the government remains on edge that any outbreak could threaten the Winter Olympics in February.

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       The latest announcement from the Communist Party stated that no vehicles would be allowed on the roads unless they were assisting with disease control work.

       Health officials and police will "strictly inspect" cars on the roads and those who break the rules could face ten days in detention and a 500 yuan fine (￡58).

       Although cases are small compared to the level of infections seen in Europe, the Chinese government ordered all residents to stay at home last Thursday.

       Beijing ordered open spaces, buildings and roads to be disinfected after 150 new cases were reported on Sunday and 155 on Saturday.

       Residents say they are facing starvation after they were banned from going outside to get food.

       Officials in Xi’an on Monday told its 13 million inhabitants they were only allowed out from their homes when invited to take part in a new round of mass Covid testing, or for medical emergencies.

       Before the severe measures were introduced, one member from each household was allowed out once every two days to buy food.

       Xi’an recorded 175 new cases on Tuesday as China continues its “zero Covid” policy.

       COVID CRACKDOWN

       Cities close to Xi’an have also recorded cases linked to the flare-up, with Yan’an – some 185 miles away - ordering businesses to close and telling hundreds of thousands of people in one district to remain indoors.

       Xi’an residents took to social media to call for help, saying they were “starving” and asking neighbours to provide supplies for them.

       “I'm about to be starved to death,” wrote one person on Weibo, China's equivalent of Facebook. “There's no food, my housing compound won't let me out, and I'm about to run out of instant noodles… please help.”

       “I don't want to hear any more about how everything is fine,” said another. “So what if supplies are so abundant - they're useless if you don't actually give them to people.”

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       A truck spraying a fog of disinfectant onto the streets of Xi'an Credit: Getty 5

       The city's lockdown rules mean no one is allowed outside unless for mass testing or on medical grounds Credit: Alamy 5

       Anyone seen driving on the streets is to be jailed and given a fine Credit: Getty