China Lockdown: As infections rise, testing for Covid-19 has increased in Shanghai and other major Chinese cities, including Shenzhen. Some local authorities have hurriedly closed schools, entertainment venues, and tourism attractions.
The number of infections has surged to its highest level since August as a result of more people travelling within their own country during the National Day “Golden Week” earlier this month. The most new local infections since August 20 were reported by the authorities on October 10.
While many of the cases were discovered in tourist hotspots, including picturesque locations in Inner Mongolia’s northern area, megacities that are frequently the origin of seasoned tourists have started to report additional instances this week.
25 million people live in Shanghai, which recorded 28 local cases on October 10—the fourth day of double-digit growth.
Shanghai announced late on Monday that all 16 of its districts were to conduct mass testing at least twice a week until Nov. 10, up from once a week under a regime imposed after the previous lockdown. This was done in an effort to prevent a repeat of the economically and psychologically devastating lockdown in April to May.
Authorities recommended that checks on visitors and in public spaces like hotels be enhanced.
Others have already become entangled in the growing web of regulations.
Peter Lee, a longtime British expat, received word last week that his apartment building would be shut down while he, his wife, and their seven-year-old kid were out to lunch.
After that, Lee and his son checked into a motel, which was shortly locked down as well because a virus carrier had previously stopped by. Lee’s wife, who was going to go with them, was forced to go back home and get locked in.
“It’s possible that we’ll decide to return home and cope with the situation there because we miss our mothers too much,” Lee told Reuters.
We’re keeping an eye on the situation since it appears that Shanghai is already gradually closing down, and if that happens, having the ability to come and leave won’t be very useful.
Final cost
According to Nomura, 36 Chinese cities were in various states of lockdown or control as of Monday (Oct. 10), affecting 196.9 million people as opposed to 179.7 million the week before.
Local cases increased by more than three times to 33 on October 10 from the previous day in Shenzhen, a southern tech hotspot of China where the highly transmissible BF.7 Omicron subvariant has arisen.
Three tests will be administered to incoming travellers over the course of three days, the city’s 18 million residents’ officials announced on Tuesday.
Authorities banned numerous public locations, including the well-known Terracotta Warriors Museum, and suspended offline lessons at schools in the northwest Chinese city of Xian, which reported slightly over 100 cases between October 1 and October 10.
Due to the Covid comeback, daily shuttle buses carrying tens of thousands of people from neighbouring Tianjin and Hebei to work in Beijing will be cancelled starting on Wednesday.
The government has frequently persuaded people to accept the restrictions despite China’s extremely low caseload relative to the rest of the globe and the toll its anti-epidemic tactics take on the economy and population.
The epidemic will spread until there is a significant uptick in activity, which will inevitably have a negative influence on social and economic development and raise costs and damages overall, according to a statement published on Tuesday by the state-run People’s Daily.
The Covid precautionary measures are being taken days before the Communist Party session, which will begin on October 16 and see Xi Jinping likely extend his tenure.
Given the urgency to maintain order before the crucial conference, analysts from US alternative asset management firm Clocktower Group predicted that the new reappearance of stringent Covid-19 restrictions would only last temporarily.
The People’s Daily’s double down on the zero-Covid-19 story, however, is in fact a serious issue and indicates that a significant policy recalibration may still be some time off.
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