Shanghai is at the center of the latest epidemic, reporting more than 15,000 new cases a day. Authorities opposed the protest with all available police forces, special services and the army. “ Meanwhile, Beijing officials have launched massive drills, closed schools and imposed targeted lockdowns on some apartment buildings in a bid to curb infections. These actions have sparked fears of a wider lockdown similar to that in Shanghai. Throughout the pandemic, China has stuck to a strict zero-COVID-19 strategy that uses lockdown, mass testing, quarantine and border closure to curb the virus. But the arrival of the highly contagious Omicron variant has called into question the viability of this strategy, with the virus spreading to different cities and provinces faster than the government can contain it. Authorities are now imposing full or partial lockdowns in at least 27 cities across the country, with those restrictions affecting up to 180 million people, according to CNN estimates. Here’s what you need to know about the COVID situation in China.
WHERE ARE THE LOCKS AND RESTRICTIONS?
Cases in China began to rise in March, soon evolving into the worst outbreak the country has seen since the initial outbreak of the Wuhan epidemic in early 2020. The northeastern province of Jilin was hit hard during the early stages of the epidemic. Authorities set the provincial capital Changchun, an industrial hub, in a tight lockdown across the city on March 11, with the nearby city of Jilin following suit on March 21. On Thursday, authorities in Changchun and Jilin, a city of more than 13.5 million people, said they would soon begin to gradually ease the lockdowns – although it remains unclear what the process would look like or under what conditions. they will be allowed to leave their homes. Authorities also closed several other cities, including Shenzhen’s major financial center, in March – although some of those measures have since been lifted. Shanghai, which has recorded more than half a million cases since March 1, introduced a staggered lockdown in late March. This was extended to a full lockdown across the city by the end of the month. Some neighborhoods may begin to ease quarantine measures if they have not reported cases in the past two weeks, Shanghai authorities said Wednesday – but it is a mere freedom, with the threat of a lockdown resuming if even one local case is detected. In Beijing, a mass testing campaign covered nearly 20 million people – about 90% of the city’s population. Another round of testing across the city is underway from April 27 to 30. Targeted lockdowns in Beijing’s Chaoyang district this week barred residents of at least 46 buildings from leaving their apartments or complexes, and more than 5,300 people were locked out in Fangshan district. The capital closed schools in many of its most populous neighborhoods on Thursday. Many major hospitals have also announced that they are closing and a growing number of entertainment venues, including cinemas, have also been ordered to close. Complete or entire lockdowns apply in more than two dozen cities, including Hangzhou, home to 12.2 million people. Suzhou, home to 12.7 million people. and Harbin, home to 9.5 million people. They span 14 provinces, from the far northeastern province of Heilongjiang to southern Guangxi and the mountainous western province of Qinghai.
WHAT IS LIFE LIKE IN A LOCK?
Much of the lockdown in Shanghai has been marred by chaos and malfunction – raising alarm in other cities that they fear could be next. Many residents have complained about food shortages, lack of medical access, poor conditions in makeshift quarantine camps and harsh measures such as the principles that separate infected children from their parents. In March, an out-of-service nurse in Shanghai died after being removed from the emergency department at her own hospital, which was closed for disinfection. In early April, a health worker slaughtered a corgi pet to death after its owner tested positive for COVID, the murder was recorded on camera. Last week, workers reportedly broke down the door of a 92-year-old’s house in the early hours of the morning to force her into quarantine. These stories and many more have gone viral on Chinese social media, causing a rare outcry on the internet. Similar stories have been reported from other parts of the country. In March, students at a university locked in Jilin asked for help, saying they had been left without basic supplies. Also in March, some Changchun residents reported finding it difficult to get medical treatment for non-COVID-related illnesses, such as cancer or kidney disease, with hospitals removing patients. These incidents – especially in Shanghai, which has long been considered China’s most modern and cosmopolitan city – have put people elsewhere on high alert. Although Beijing has not yet restricted the movement of people out of designated high-risk areas, many residents – fearing a wider lockdown – began to panic this week, forming long queues at supermarket counters and emptying The shelves.
WHAT WAS THE FINANCIAL COST?
Lockdowns and restrictions have dealt a huge blow to activity – especially in economically important cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen. Unemployment reached a 21-month high in March. Many companies were forced to suspend operations in various locations, including Volkswagen and Tesla and the iPhone assembly company Pegatron. The Chinese currency, the yuan, weakened sharply this week, sinking to its lowest level since November 2020. There are indications that Chinese leaders are also nervous. In March, President Xi Jinping said China must “minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development.” On Tuesday, Xi called for a “total” overflow of growth-promoting infrastructure – unusual for the Chinese leader, who rarely sets out detailed economic plans, usually leaving with Prime Minister Li Keqiang. The Chinese government “is painfully aware of the damage to the economy,” said Jörg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, earlier this month. He mentioned a private meeting with a Chinese ministry, but declined to name the service. “They are worried about unemployment,” he added. “They are worried that foreign companies are putting money elsewhere.”
WHY DOES CHINA REMAIN TO ZERO-COVID?
Despite growing anger over the chaotic lockdown and the death toll that remained relatively low until the latest outbreak, authorities and state media have indicated that China’s zero-COVID-19 policy will not change any time soon. The serious situation in Shanghai “emphasizes the need to adhere to the dynamic zero-COVID-19 policy,” the nationalist tabloid Global Times reported on Wednesday. “If Shanghai, endowed with the best medical system in the country, is in dire need of help in the face of growing numbers of serious cases, who will be there to help if other parts of China also have to fight the coronavirus attack?” There are a few reasons why China stubbornly insists on zero-COVID. Many Chinese leaders and scientists have expressed concern that easing restrictions could allow the virus to spread nationwide, potentially sparking infections and deaths and crashing the healthcare system – especially given the delayed rates. elderly. While China has focused huge resources on the development and manufacture of domestic vaccines, it has failed to ensure that they are embraced by the elderly. Now, as authorities have backed expectations that mortality rates in the country will remain low, they have no choice but to rely on lockdowns to protect the vulnerable. There is also a political element, with Xi firmly putting his personal stamp on the zero-COVID policy across the pandemic. The central government has often cited the low official death toll as evidence of the effectiveness of its strategy and to appease its claims of superiority over Western governments. Xi personally reiterated his support for zero-COVID throughout the pandemic, claiming last year that he had shown China’s commitment to saving “every human life” – making the stakes particularly high as the government now struggles to contain the virus, to maintain the deteriorating economy and alleviate public discontent. And for Xi, it comes at a particularly sensitive time, months before his expected step into an almost unprecedented third term in power this fall.
