BEIJING: The Chinese city of Chengdu on Thursday extended a lockdown for more than 21 million of its residents, hoping to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 infections.
The capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan, which has been hit by recent heatwaves, power cuts and earthquakes, was closed on 1 September. covid The cases were detected earlier in the year, making it the largest Chinese metropolis since Shanghai.
Since then, Chengdu has mostly been reporting fewer than 200 new infections a day, a smaller number than outbreaks in other parts of the world. Officials said on Thursday that 116 new cases were found for September 7, up from 121 the day before.
The lockdown was expected to be lifted on Wednesday, but officials said by late night the virus posed a risk in some areas.
Of the city’s 21.2 million residents, 16 million are in lockdown.
Residents of areas under lockdown will be tested daily and those who test positive will be quarantined. Residents of high-risk areas are not allowed to step out of their homes.
Chengdu is targeting zero new community infections within a week, its COVID Prevention and Control Command said in a statement.
A handful of districts were exempted from the complete lockdown, but residents there still have to undergo mass testing on Friday and Sunday.
Residents of districts now under complete lockdown are barred from moving to other districts and are discouraged from leaving Chengdu for non-urgent reasons.
The Office of COVID Prevention said policies would be “dynamically adjusted according to the evolution of the pandemic”.
Celebration Congress
China is struggling to stop excessive permeability omicron Different, imposing different degrees of lockdown to contain its spread. Shanghai was locked down in April and May. Other major cities that have imposed lockdowns and restrictions include Xian and Shenzhen.
Japanese brokerage and investment bank Nomura said that as of Tuesday, 49 Chinese cities had varying levels of lockdowns or containment measures, with an estimated 291.7 million people affected, up from 161.3 million the previous week.
Nomura said those people make up 20.7% of China’s population and come from regions that contribute 24.5% of its GDP.
Chinese stocks tumbled on Thursday, defying rally in other Asian markets, as COVID tarnished the economic outlook.
The flare comes in a year when the President Xi Jinping In mid-October the ruling Communist Party is widely expected to secure a precedent-breaking third term as leader in the once-in-five-year Congress.
In the weeks leading up to Congress and the week-long National Day holiday in early October, more and more cities are urging residents to refrain from non-essential travel in the wake of the COVID outbreak, which has been reported in recent weeks. in every region and province.
Nationwide, 1,439 new infections were detected in China on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said. There were no new deaths, same as the day before, the total death toll remained unchanged at 5,226.
The capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan, which has been hit by recent heatwaves, power cuts and earthquakes, was closed on 1 September. covid The cases were detected earlier in the year, making it the largest Chinese metropolis since Shanghai.
Since then, Chengdu has mostly been reporting fewer than 200 new infections a day, a smaller number than outbreaks in other parts of the world. Officials said on Thursday that 116 new cases were found for September 7, up from 121 the day before.
The lockdown was expected to be lifted on Wednesday, but officials said by late night the virus posed a risk in some areas.
Of the city’s 21.2 million residents, 16 million are in lockdown.
Residents of areas under lockdown will be tested daily and those who test positive will be quarantined. Residents of high-risk areas are not allowed to step out of their homes.
Chengdu is targeting zero new community infections within a week, its COVID Prevention and Control Command said in a statement.
A handful of districts were exempted from the complete lockdown, but residents there still have to undergo mass testing on Friday and Sunday.
Residents of districts now under complete lockdown are barred from moving to other districts and are discouraged from leaving Chengdu for non-urgent reasons.
The Office of COVID Prevention said policies would be “dynamically adjusted according to the evolution of the pandemic”.
Celebration Congress
China is struggling to stop excessive permeability omicron Different, imposing different degrees of lockdown to contain its spread. Shanghai was locked down in April and May. Other major cities that have imposed lockdowns and restrictions include Xian and Shenzhen.
Japanese brokerage and investment bank Nomura said that as of Tuesday, 49 Chinese cities had varying levels of lockdowns or containment measures, with an estimated 291.7 million people affected, up from 161.3 million the previous week.
Nomura said those people make up 20.7% of China’s population and come from regions that contribute 24.5% of its GDP.
Chinese stocks tumbled on Thursday, defying rally in other Asian markets, as COVID tarnished the economic outlook.
The flare comes in a year when the President Xi Jinping In mid-October the ruling Communist Party is widely expected to secure a precedent-breaking third term as leader in the once-in-five-year Congress.
In the weeks leading up to Congress and the week-long National Day holiday in early October, more and more cities are urging residents to refrain from non-essential travel in the wake of the COVID outbreak, which has been reported in recent weeks. in every region and province.
Nationwide, 1,439 new infections were detected in China on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said. There were no new deaths, same as the day before, the total death toll remained unchanged at 5,226.