The measure is imposed after detecting an “anomalous” result at the city’s airport, where most flights have been canceled
Severe measures to stop any coronavirus outbreak continue in China under its ‘zero covid’ policy. The most populous city in the Asian giant, Shanghai, has been confined since the beginning of April and the capital, Beijing, appears in this chaotic scenario due to a rise in infections. Now, the megacity of Canton, an important commercial and manufacturing hub located in the south of the country, has been isolated at the aerial level after detecting a single positive case. The adage ‘better late than never’ does not apply there, so in order not to give the pathogen more time to spread, the authorities have canceled hundreds of flights to the territory and ordered mass testing of 5.6 million people.
The measure has been imposed after detecting an “anomalous” result at Canton airport. It is all that has been explained for the moment from the Chinese Government in this regard. In order to stop a possible outbreak, most flights have been canceled and “effective control” measures have been put in place at the facilities under the guidelines of the Executive.
To know the scope of this case, the authorities have decreed that all residents of the Baiyun and Huadu districts be subjected to PCR tests. In total, of the 19 million inhabitants that make up the megacity, a third of the population will be tested for now, that is, 5.6 million.
11,367 new infections
The situation worsens in the main towns of the country. Given the increase in infections in the capital, the authorities on Thursday ruled out withdrawing the restrictions imposed on the borders in order to maintain efforts to control one of the worst outbreaks that China has experienced since the start of the pandemic. Due to the rise in positive cases, massive tests are also increasing. In fact, it is estimated that around 22 million people will undergo these tests three times by the end of this week.
The Asian giant reported 11,367 new infections this Thursday. Beijing – where the rise in positives has urged massive tests to be carried out on the almost 21 million inhabitants to curb the virus – warned of an increase in cases, especially among student circles, which has caused the re-establishment of online classes. In the capital, districts such as Xicheng and Chaoyang, for their part, decreed the closure of educational centers. A measure that sows panic among the population, who already lives in fear of having to suffer a more than possible lockdown in the style of Shanghai, where after almost a month of isolation a serious shortage of food and other essential supplies has been generated, as as the authorities themselves have acknowledged. Given this scenario, Pekingese citizens are stocking up on groceries, leaving practically all supermarket shelves empty for fear of a harsh confinement.
Meanwhile, the technology center of Hangzhou, near Shanghai, ordered PCR tests to be carried out every 48 hours on 9.4 million inhabitants of the center of the large city (of the 12.2 total) to be able to access public spaces, as well as the transport. The goal is “that the virus has nowhere to hide and settle,” the local government said in a statement. The official declaration creates even more alarm in the population, who fear that the authorities will impose more severe restrictions in order to face a new wave of the pandemic.
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