Beijing/Shanghai: Beijing Steps up quarantine efforts to end its months-old Covid outbreak as new signs of despair emerge ShanghaiWhere some imposed unreasonable restrictions with the city of 25 million preparing to extend the lockdown for more than a week.
Even as China’s hard-fought efforts to eliminate Covid – its “zero-Covid” approach – bite prospects for the world’s second-largest economy, the newly reported infection numbers are many. levels far below those seen in western cities. The capital reported 48 new cases on Monday among a population of 22 million, with Shanghai reporting fewer than 500.
Still, Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan during an inspection tour in Beijing, the state agency, called for more intensive measures to cut virus transmission and adhere to the country’s zero-Covid policy. Xinhua has reported on Tuesday.
According to Xinhua, the situation in Beijing was manageable, but the containment efforts could not be reduced.
In an example of the harshness of Beijing’s approach, about 1,800 people in a city neighborhood were transferred for quarantine to the city of Zhangjiakou in nearby Hebei province, the state-backed Beijing Daily reported.
Six of the capital’s 16 districts still have instructions for residents to work from home, while another three districts encourage people to follow such measures, with each district implementing its own guidelines. is responsible for.
Beijing had already reduced public transport, urged some shopping malls and other places to close and seal buildings where new cases were detected.
In Shanghai, officials plan to lift most of the restrictions this month, before completely lifting the two-month-old lockdown from June 1. Still, public places will have to stop the flow of people at 75% capacity.
‘let’s strike’
With Shanghai officially declared a zero-Covid city, some authorities have allowed more people to leave their homes in the past week, authorizing more supermarkets and pharmacies to reopen and provide deliveries Went.
But other lower-level officials separately tightened restrictions in some neighborhoods, ordering residents to go back indoors to cement progress achieved so far in the city’s final phase out of lockdown. given.
This has led to complaints of frustration and unequal treatment among some residents.
While the zero-Covid situation describes the entire city, and residents of some compounds have been allowed to move in and out of their homes freely, others have been told that they can only go out for a few hours. and many of them were trapped inside the house. Didn’t tell anything.
Videos circulating on social media this week showed residents arguing with officials on whether to move out of their residential premises.
The Shanghai government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One resident told Reuters that people on his campus have decided WeChat Social media platform for going out in groups.
“Let’s strike at our gate tonight to allow us to go out like many other neighborhood campuses,” he quoted one of his neighbors in the group chat.
A video he then shared showed a group of people arguing at the entrance of the campus with a man, who identified himself as a sub-district officer, who asked residents to go back inside and take stock of the situation. asked to discuss.
“Don’t bother with him,” said one person as some people were socializing outside the campus.
Residents said people in at least two other compounds were planning to try to go outside even though they were not allowed to do so.
financial relief?
At a time when most other countries are moving to the model of living with the virus, China’s COVID measures are hurting its economy, as well as disrupting global supply chains.
Many analysts expect the economy to shrink in the second quarter, even as the overall COVID situation across China and economic activity improved this month compared to April.
To support the economy, China will extend tax credit exemptions, defer social security payments by small firms and start debt repayments and new investment projects among other steps, state television quoted the cabinet as saying.
In a positive sign for Shanghai, electric vehicle giant Tesla plans to reach production levels on Tuesday that are similar to those before the lockdown at its plant in the city, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.
Analysts at Nomura estimated that 26 Chinese cities were enforcing complete or partial lockdowns or other COVID measures as of May 23, accounting for 208 million people and 20.5% of China’s economic output. This will be down from 271 million a week ago and 27% of production.
“But for us, this is only a relief rather than a turning point,” the analysts wrote in a note. He said that passing through a turning point would particularly depend on the exit from the zero-Covid strategy and not on the number of daily cases and monthly activity data.
Even as China’s hard-fought efforts to eliminate Covid – its “zero-Covid” approach – bite prospects for the world’s second-largest economy, the newly reported infection numbers are many. levels far below those seen in western cities. The capital reported 48 new cases on Monday among a population of 22 million, with Shanghai reporting fewer than 500.
Still, Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan during an inspection tour in Beijing, the state agency, called for more intensive measures to cut virus transmission and adhere to the country’s zero-Covid policy. Xinhua has reported on Tuesday.
According to Xinhua, the situation in Beijing was manageable, but the containment efforts could not be reduced.
In an example of the harshness of Beijing’s approach, about 1,800 people in a city neighborhood were transferred for quarantine to the city of Zhangjiakou in nearby Hebei province, the state-backed Beijing Daily reported.
Six of the capital’s 16 districts still have instructions for residents to work from home, while another three districts encourage people to follow such measures, with each district implementing its own guidelines. is responsible for.
Beijing had already reduced public transport, urged some shopping malls and other places to close and seal buildings where new cases were detected.
In Shanghai, officials plan to lift most of the restrictions this month, before completely lifting the two-month-old lockdown from June 1. Still, public places will have to stop the flow of people at 75% capacity.
‘let’s strike’
With Shanghai officially declared a zero-Covid city, some authorities have allowed more people to leave their homes in the past week, authorizing more supermarkets and pharmacies to reopen and provide deliveries Went.
But other lower-level officials separately tightened restrictions in some neighborhoods, ordering residents to go back indoors to cement progress achieved so far in the city’s final phase out of lockdown. given.
This has led to complaints of frustration and unequal treatment among some residents.
While the zero-Covid situation describes the entire city, and residents of some compounds have been allowed to move in and out of their homes freely, others have been told that they can only go out for a few hours. and many of them were trapped inside the house. Didn’t tell anything.
Videos circulating on social media this week showed residents arguing with officials on whether to move out of their residential premises.
The Shanghai government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One resident told Reuters that people on his campus have decided WeChat Social media platform for going out in groups.
“Let’s strike at our gate tonight to allow us to go out like many other neighborhood campuses,” he quoted one of his neighbors in the group chat.
A video he then shared showed a group of people arguing at the entrance of the campus with a man, who identified himself as a sub-district officer, who asked residents to go back inside and take stock of the situation. asked to discuss.
“Don’t bother with him,” said one person as some people were socializing outside the campus.
Residents said people in at least two other compounds were planning to try to go outside even though they were not allowed to do so.
financial relief?
At a time when most other countries are moving to the model of living with the virus, China’s COVID measures are hurting its economy, as well as disrupting global supply chains.
Many analysts expect the economy to shrink in the second quarter, even as the overall COVID situation across China and economic activity improved this month compared to April.
To support the economy, China will extend tax credit exemptions, defer social security payments by small firms and start debt repayments and new investment projects among other steps, state television quoted the cabinet as saying.
In a positive sign for Shanghai, electric vehicle giant Tesla plans to reach production levels on Tuesday that are similar to those before the lockdown at its plant in the city, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.
Analysts at Nomura estimated that 26 Chinese cities were enforcing complete or partial lockdowns or other COVID measures as of May 23, accounting for 208 million people and 20.5% of China’s economic output. This will be down from 271 million a week ago and 27% of production.
“But for us, this is only a relief rather than a turning point,” the analysts wrote in a note. He said that passing through a turning point would particularly depend on the exit from the zero-Covid strategy and not on the number of daily cases and monthly activity data.