COVID in China: On Thursday, China’s financial hub Shanghai recorded a new high of over 27,000 coronavirus cases, a day after President Xi Jinping stated the government must maintain its tight “dynamic COVID clearance” strategy and pandemic management measures.
Since the virus initially emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, Shanghai has been battling China’s worst COVID-19 outbreak, with its 25 million citizens primarily under lockdown, but restrictions were partially loosened in some parts this week.
Wider restrictions to halt the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variety have resulted in logistical and supply chain problems that are wreaking havoc on the economy, fueling speculation that China’s central bank would announce additional stimulus measures shortly.
According to a survey released on April 7 by Gavekal Dragonomics, 87 of China’s 100 largest cities by GDP have implemented some type of quarantine restrictions. Meanwhile, Shanghai residents have gone to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the city’s food shortages and China’s policy of requiring anybody who tests positive, symptomatic or not, to be confined centrally, where many people have complained about bad circumstances.
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a handbook for COVID quarantine
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a handbook on home quarantining on its social media on Wednesday, raising hopes for policy reform. The CDC’s advice, which recommended quarantining in a well-ventilated room with masks, sanitizer, and other supplies, fueled optimism that the central quarantine restriction might be modified.
The CDC, however, returned to the old criteria when asked by a social media user in an online comments area about who would be eligible for home isolation. During a briefing on Thursday, Shanghai officials showed no indication of a shift in strategy.
Patience is being tested
Mr. Xi said during a visit to Hainan Island in South China on Wednesday that while the global pandemic is still very dangerous, China must keep to its tight “dynamic COVID clearance” policy, promising people experiencing lockdowns that persistence will win out in the end.
He said there will be no quick changes to pandemic control measures, and that the government must stick to its strategy, which has effectively closed China’s borders to overseas travel and does not ease prevention measures. Xi’s comments come after a slew of recent state-run media stories defending China’s strong COVID campaign, even as Shanghai residents grumble about the restrictions.
On Thursday, a piece titled “The people of Shanghai’s patience has reached its limit” by a blogger named Lady Moye went popular on the social media site WeChat, enumerating the human toll of Shanghai’s strong anti-COVID actions, including family separations.
Before the item was removed for violating regulations, according to a WeChat notice, one comment, “Whoever deletes this article should die a terrible death,” earned almost half a million likes in seven hours.
People in camp beds separated by less than an arm’s length were seen in a video obtained by Reuters on Thursday from inside one quarantine center. According to one occupant, more than 200 individuals shared four restrooms with no showers. Shanghai reported 2,573 symptomatic cases for the previous day on Thursday, up from 1,189 the day before, and 25,146 asymptomatic instances, up from 25,141.
Despite the lockdown, cases continued to grow, according to a local official, in part due to a backlog of test results and ongoing transmission among family members. Authorities in the coronavirus-affected northeastern province of Jilin said that the local spread of COVID-19 has been halted after a battle to reduce cases since mid-March.
However, Shenzhen, China’s southern technology capital, appeared to be making a comeback after containing an epidemic last month. Authorities recorded 21 new illnesses on Thursday, including eight with symptoms and thirteen without, the largest number since March 21.