Tens of millions of people were confined this Wednesday in China due to a rebound in covid-19 infections, which raises fears in Shanghai of the return of draconian restrictions.
China’s largest city was confined for two months in the spring and the strict conditions imposed exasperated some of its 25 million inhabitants.
(Also read: China: New city closed due to possible omicron outbreak)
As of June 1, most restrictions were lifted but some neighborhoods remained temporarily closed after some cases were detected.
But there has been a surge in infections since the weekend, with Shanghai reporting 24 new cases on Wednesday.
Authorities launched a new round of mass testing in half of Shanghai’s districts and closed karaoke bars on Wednesday after detecting some infections originating from these establishments.
(You may be interested: Does your neighbor have covid? In China they would pay you to rat him out)
Five weeks after the lifting of the lockdown, A part of the inhabitants fear that the restrictions will return.
Some residents reported Tuesday on social media that they received food rations from the government, as they did months ago.
“Let me tell you a scary story: Putuo district is sending vegetables again,” a resident posted on the WeChat network.
“I’m so nervous, the epidemic destroyed my youth. I’m going to go crazy,” another Shanghai user wrote on Weibo.
Zero covid policy, tested
The Ministry of Health reported 300 new cases on Wednesday throughout the country.
The main affected area is Anhui province (east), where 1.7 million inhabitants of two rural cantons are currently confined.
More than a thousand cases have been registered since last week, with infections currently reaching the province of Jiangsu (east), bordering Shanghai and a heavy manufacturing region.
(You can read: North Korea investigates outbreak of unidentified ‘intestinal disease’)
The great city of Xi’an (north), with 13 million inhabitants and where the famous “Terracotta Warriors” are located, was placed under “temporary control measures” after detecting 29 infections since Saturday.
Public entertainment venues, including pubs, internet cafes and karaoke bars, were closed from midnight on Wednesday, the local government said.
State media showed footage of Xi’an residents queuing for tests after midnight on Tuesday, as authorities insist the city is not on lockdown.
The city’s outbreak is attributed to the BA.5.2 subvariant of omicron, which is more transmissible and eludes immunity.
(Also: How many inhabitants does China have in 2022?)
“The positive cases are all from the BA.5.2 branch of the omicron variant, and epidemiological tracing work is underway,” Ma Chaofent of the Xi’an Health Department told a news conference.
The positive cases are all from the BA.5.2 branch of the omicron variant.
The new cases are a challenge for President Xi Jinping, who last week reaffirmed the commitment to China’s zero covid policy.
The government considers this strategy necessary to avoid medical costs and protect the elderly, with a low vaccination rate.
But its impact on economic activity is very high and many companies close or idle.
According to estimates by the Nomura bank, at least 114 million Chinese are subject to various travel restrictions, some of them confined. A week ago it was 66 million.
*With information from AFP
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