Posted on 03/11/2022 1:31:02 PM PST by blam
Despite rumblings about Beijing potentially dropping its controversial zero-COVID policy, authorities in Shanghai, China’s financial capital and a city home to nearly 25 million, have decided to shutter schools and rapidly construct hospitals as the omicron variant appears to be spreading rapidly within the country’s financial capital, according to Bloomberg.
The latest outbreak has been labeled “the most significant” since Wuhan, with some 1,000 domestic cases having been confirmed as of Friday, up from just 300 a week ago. That’s the highest number of new cases recorded in 2 years, since the days of the original Wuhan outbreak.
But in Shanghai, only two of the 75 Covid cases reported in the city Friday were considered to be caused by community spread, which might explain why authorities haven’t deployed city-wide testing as yet.
Source: Bloomberg
Domestic infections of the omicron variant have surged in Shanghai, which is why the city has been subjected to the draconian lockdown measures which have mostly been used on smaller cities until now.
In what Bloomberg described as a sign that Beijing is anticipating a further surge in cases, authorities also said they would allow the use of rapid antigen tests for the first time late Friday. While used widely in other parts of the world, rapid tests had previously been restricted in China.
Still, the latest outbreak has cast more doubt upon the “Covid Zero strategy” that helped keep the world’s second-largest economy largely virus-free for much of the pandemic and now appears to be buckling as the more transmissible omicron variant repeatedly breaks through its stringent containment regime. The virus’s spread in China’s largest cities also makes enforcing “COVID zero” more difficult.
An outbreak in the northeastern province of Jilin, which borders Russia and North Korea, resulted in the capital Changchun being placed on lockdown on Friday.
Starting Saturday, students who are in middle school and below will return to remote learning across Shanghai. China’s aviation authority has also looked into limiting international flights into the city. Officials cited the stretched capacity at the quarantine hotels which all travelers arriving in China are required to use and isolate in for a couple of weeks before being released to go about their business in China.
It never ends.
Is it still 99.5% survivable?
That’s a Shame.
China, trying to stampede the rest of the world again.
ChiComs completely control and make up cases they report.
They have an ulterior motive for reporting this.
Omicron?
All they gotta do is hand out Tylenol
If it’s Omicron that’s just hitting them now, it’s more like 99.9% survivable. It will also have the benefit of giving them herd immunity.
uh huh...yep.
Here we go again - will we shut our borders now? Airports?
Since when does the ruling communist party give a flying ‘f’ about anyone’s health or well being?
This smacks at some weird plan to throttle their own economy as a sort of global political weapon.
What are the chances that “covid” is their cover story to get rid of undesirables (Christians, Falung Gong, democracy and freedom of speech types, etc)? Round up all the enemies of the party, shove them into covid hospitals, and dispose of them in incinerators. The chicom puppets in the west don’t say a word, as they are fighting “covid”...
They've been avoiding herd immunity with their Zero Covid policies.
NO. We ARE NOT locking down again!
Another U.S election year, another pandemic🧐.
Hmmm
Vax nazi karen order taker flipped out on me at a local restaurant, but it was resolved when I gave her back the mask she handed me and said it would be even better for her to put it on herself so she could be double protected
Not really, but I was in a rare foul mood after having to deal with too many other young authoritarian wannabes today.
I think that could be part of it, but they don’t usually need any cover story to do that.
I think it’s to back away and change the subject from their initial vigorous support of Putin’s invasion.
It’s the new COVID-Karma strain!
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
The only question here is how many zeros to add to the official figures.
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