China Imposes Lockdown Amid COVID Outbreak
Due to the surge in Covid cases, China has imposed lockdown in many places.
On 13th March 2022, China reported 3,400 new covid cases. This was double the cases reported on Saturday. China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict ‘zero-Covid’ policy enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters emerged. But the latest flare-up, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a spike in asymptomatic cases, is testing the efficacy of that approach. Because of the nationwide surge in cases, authorities had to impose lockdown measures and close schools.
Jilin province has been partially locked down. The smaller cities of Siping and Dunhua, both in Jilin province, were locked down on 10th and 11th March according to official announcements. Zhang Yan, an official with the Jilin provincial health commission, "The emergency response in some areas is not robust enough. There is insufficient understanding of the characteristics of the Omicron variant... and judgment has been inaccurate." Yanji, an urban area, was fully closed off.
The city of Changchun, an industrial base of nine million people, was locked down from 11th March 2021.
There is a lock down in Shenzhen as well as northeastern cities, with 18 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants. The around 13 million residents are shocked by the sudden rise in case and angst at the swift, draconian measures to squash clusters. A Shenzhen resident said, "It's the worst since 2020. The closures are too sudden, my friend woke up in the morning to find her building was sealed overnight without warning. Her boss had to mail her laptop to her."
Hong Kong currently has one of the world's highest death rates from the virus, as the Omicron variant cuts through its elderly population who are hesitant to take the vaccine. Thousands of foreigners have left the city as schools are closed and tough restrictions curtail gatherings and movement over two years into a pandemic which has eased in severity across much of the world.
In China's biggest city Shanghai, authorities have temporarily locked down schools, businesses, restaurants and malls over close-contact fears rather than using mass quarantines. Long lines have been seen outside hospitals in the city as people rush to obtain a negative Covid test.
As cases rise, the country's Health Commission announced that they would introduce the use of rapid antigen tests. The kits will now be available online or at pharmacies for clinics and ordinary citizens to buy for "self-testing". However mass testing will also continue.
Last week, a top Chinese scientist said the country should aim to co-exist with Covid, like other nations, where Omicron has spread like wildfire. But the government has also made clear that mass lockdowns remain an option.
