The World Health Organization's recommendation on lockdowns is that they should be very brief, short-term measures to reorganize, regroup, rebalance resources, and protect health workers who are exhausted.
Research and case studies have shown that lockdowns were generally effective at reducing the spread of COVID-19, therefore flattening the curve. Although similar disease control measures have been used for hundreds of years, the scale of those implemented in the 2020s is thought to be unprecedented. By April 2020, about half of the world's population was under some form of lockdown, with more than 3.9 billion people in more than 90 countries or territories having been asked or ordered to stay at home by their governments. These restrictions were established with the intention to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. "A resurgence of omicron is not an issue in most other countries, but it remains a predominant issue for the Chinese economy," warned Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura.Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, cordons sanitaires and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countries and territories around the world. The city is also pushing to get more retirees vaccinated, saying those who visit centers for the elderly must be jabbed as soon as possible.Ĭhina's biggest cluster is in the central province of Anhui, where more than 1,000 infections have been reported since last week.ĭozens of cases have also been recorded in Jiangsu province, neighboring Shanghai, threatening the Yangtze Delta manufacturing region. Visitors to places including museums, sports centers, libraries and cinemas must be vaccinated unless exempt, Li said.
In Beijing, officials said Wednesday that the BA.5.2 branch has also been detected in the capital, but stressed the outbreak remains controllable.īut the city will tighten vaccination requirements starting Monday, health official Li Ang told reporters.
#Covid lockdown again full#
"The positive infections are all the BA.5.2 branch of the omicron variant, and epidemiological tracing work is still in full swing," Xian health official Ma Chaofeng said at a briefing. Officials have blamed the outbreak on a subvariant of omicron, which is more transmissible and immune evasive. State media showed Xian residents queuing up for tests past midnight Tuesday but said the city was not under lockdown. The city government said it would close entertainment venues including pubs, internet cafes and karaoke bars starting at midnight on Wednesday. In Xian, a city of 13 million that endured a monthlong lockdown last year, the population was placed under "temporary control measures" after 29 infections were found since Saturday, mostly among recycling workers. The recent resurgences pose a fresh challenge for President Xi Jinping, who last week reaffirmed his commitment to the zero-COVID strategy despite the mounting economic cost. Japanese bank Nomura has estimated that at least 114 million people were under full or partial lockdowns nationwide in China as of Monday, a sharp jump from last week's 66.7 million. "People now aren't really scared of COVID anymore, they're scared of being locked down in their homes."Ī health worker takes a sample from a woman to be tested for COVID-19 at a swab collection site in Beijing, July 6, 2022. "I think the situation won't improve in the short term," said another resident, who gave his name as Yao. She said she took part in the latest testing round over fears that her smartphone-stored health code, which is used to access public spaces, might otherwise flag her as a COVID risk. "I think this is unnecessary, and I don't really want to do it," Shanghai resident Alice Chan told AFP. Officials launched a new round of mass testing in more than half of the city's districts after a rebound in cases since the weekend.Īll karaoke bars were closed Wednesday after some infections were linked to six venues.
"I'm so nervous, the epidemic has destroyed my youth," posted a Shanghai-based user on Weibo. In Shanghai, some social media users reported receiving government food rations, a throwback to the monthslong confinement forced on the city's residents earlier this year. The outbreaks and official response have dashed hopes that China would move away from the strict virus curbs seen earlier this year, when its hardline zero-COVID policy saw tens of millions forced to stay home for weeks. Tens of millions of people were under lockdown across China on Wednesday and businesses in a major tourist city were forced to close as fresh COVID-19 clusters sparked fears of wider restrictions.Ĭhinese health authorities have reported more than 300 infections in the historic northern city of Xian, home to the Terracotta Army, with new clusters found in Shanghai, Beijing and elsewhere.
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