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Chinese authorities have continued to stick with the “dynamic zero-Covid” policy, which aims to eradicate outbreaks as they emerge. The strategy has led to lockdowns, mass testing and shut borders, crushing business activity and economic growth. The recent outbreaks have come at a sensitive time politically as the Communist Party congress prepares for its twice-a-decade meeting scheduled for October—an event expected to ratify an unprecedented third term as Party leader for President Xi Jinping.
Strains of the Omicron variant have spread to all of China’s 31 provincial-level regions in recent weeks, leaving the 14-day daily average for new locally transmitted cases at 1,565, government data show. That is below the peak but still too high for Beijing’s zero-Covid target.
More areas of the country have been placed under full or partial lockdowns as the number of new cases crept up last month, putting local officials under the spotlight just ahead of the congress. While the case numbers remain low by global standards, officials in China risk losing their jobs if they fail to bring outbreaks under control swiftly.
Daqing, a city in northernmost China that sits on the largest oil field in the country, has been in full lockdown similar to the one in Shanghai earlier this year, with more than 900 cases reported. The city government removed the head of the local branch of the NHC on Monday after a woman suffered a miscarriage when she was turned away from a hospital.
That creates a dilemma, with Covid controls widely blamed for China’s weakening economy. Districts designated as high- or medium-risk zones accounted for about 35% of national economic output, according to a Friday research report by Goldman Sachs.
Some other large Chinese cities also have increased their vigilance in recent days, for instance by shutting down large-scale events and public venues, suspending dine-in restaurant services, and starting the new school year online. Officials have asked people to reduce travel within cities and required frequent tests for Covid-19—daily, in many cases.
‘Chinese authorities have continued to stick with the “dynamic zero-Covid” policy...’
every time I read someone on this forum extolling the intelligence of Orientals, I think about nonsense like this, and take the comment with a huge grain of salt...