China has recorded the highest number of daily Covid cases since the pandemic began, despite strict measures to eliminate the virus. Outbreaks have occurred in several major cities, including the capital, Beijing, and Guangzhou’s southern commercial hub. 31,527 cases were recorded on Wednesday, compared to a peak of 28,000 in April. That number is still tiny for a country with a population of 1.4 billion, and officially he has just over 5,200 deaths since the pandemic began. This equates to a Covid death toll of 3 per million in China, compared to 3,000 per million in the US and 2,400 per million in the UK, but direct comparison is difficult. China’s zero-corona policy has saved lives, but it has also taken a serious toll on the economy and the lives of ordinary people.
The country slightly eased some of these restrictions a few weeks ago A close contact’s quarantine has been reduced from 7 days at a government facility to 5 days for him and 3 days at home, stopping secondary contact logging and allowing more people to avoid quarantine. I was. authorities have also tried to avoid the blanket lockdown that the largest city, Shanghai, endured earlier this year. But as cases surge again in Beijing and the first death from the virus in months, authorities in some counties have already imposed some restrictions and closed shops, schools, and restaurants. . Downtown Zhengzhou will also implement an effective lockdown on its 6 million residents from Friday, officials said. Violent protests continue at iPhone maker Foxconn’s giant industrial park. The company apologized for a “technical error” in its payment system.
China refuses to import vaccines despite evidence that homemade vaccines have not been proven effective. President Xi Jinping has argued that strict restrictions are necessary to protect the country’s large elderly population. Zero-Covid is free to define its own rules and authoritarian bureaucracy, unlike any other politics. It reflects an air of scrutiny and stability heading into March when China’s parliamentary equivalent will convene to elect Mr. Xi as president for the third time. Professor William Hurst, who specializes in China development at the University of Cambridge, recently told BBC News that “lockdowns will prevent the spread of COVID-19”. “But they also have incredibly tight social controls.”
