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The Chinese government is trying to boost its economy while maintaining its health strategy to try to stop the spread of Covid-19. Some areas of the city of Shenzhen, a major financial center in the country, will reopen their businesses and public transport, while efforts to contain outbreaks under the “zero tolerance” strategy of the new coronavirus advance.
The number of cases in China during its latest wave of the Covid-19 outbreak across the country is relatively low, the government says.
Given this scenario, the authorities have authorized the reopening of companies in the city of Shenzhen, an important business center in the south of the country, starting on Friday, March 18.
Five of its districts that achieved a “dynamic authorization of Covid-19” reopen and public transport returns to normal operation, as confirmed by the municipal government.
The new steps are taken after a total closure of that city last Monday, March 14, which shook the financial markets and generated an alarm about the possible impact on the manufacture of smartphones and other industries that are centered in Shenzhen, close to Hong Kong.
Despite the reopening in the city, the authorities try to act with caution. Certain areas in the five districts are yet to implement virus control measures.
Diagnostic tests for residents of the city of 17.5 million people are “progressing smoothly,” Deputy Mayor Huang Qiang told a news conference.
“We will organize companies to return to work,” Huang said, adding that companies should step up prevention measures against the disease and monitor employees for and report symptoms such as fever.
Huang warned that Shenzhen is still experiencing “sporadic outbreaks.” He said that 71 new infections were registered in the last 24 hours.
“The work of epidemic prevention and control cannot decrease at all,” he stressed.
“Zero tolerance” against the virus
The new announcement in Shenzhen comes as the national government implements a “zero tolerance” strategy for the virus that has temporarily closed major cities to isolate all infected people.
Chinese leaders appear to be trying to harmonize their disease control system to maintain their goal of zero cases, while at the same time reducing the economic and social disruption of strict health controls.
A meeting this Thursday, March 17, between the leaders of the ruling Communist Party “emphasized the need to maintain normal production”, but stressed that disease control work must be “carried out strictly”, state television reported.
Other places like the industrial hub of Changchun in the nation’s northeast were closed and travel controls were imposed in the surrounding province of Jilin.
The German automaker Volkswagen reported that production at its factory in that city would remain inactive on Friday, but that another headquarters would operate in Shanghai, a city where controls against Covid-19 were also tightened.
With AP and Reuters
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