BEIJING: One of China’s longest coronavirus lockdowns since the start of the pandemic came to an end on Monday as authorities announced the lifting of most restrictions in the northern megacity of Xi’an. The historic city’s 13 million residents had been confined to their homes since Dec 22 after the discovery of a Covid-19 cluster that grew to over 2,100 cases — China’s largest local outbreak in months. With the Winter Olympics set to begin next week, Chinese authorities have been scrambling to eradicate flare-ups in several major cities, most recently Beijing, where more than 40 cases have be…