China’s corona numbers remain high despite the country’s largest city being in lockdown. Anger among the population is growing, also because of drastic measures.
Shanghai – In China, the authorities recorded a week-long increase in corona numbers. On Monday (April 4th), more than 13,000 new corona infections were registered nationwide for the second day in a row. The largest city in China is particularly affected: Shanghai. In the economic metropolis with 25 million inhabitants, 9,000 of all new infections were found.
In order to prevent the unchecked spread of the corona virus, China has been pursuing a so-called zero-Covid strategy since the beginning of the pandemic. This means that entire cities or regions are sealed off from the outside world even in the case of individual corona cases. As the coronavirus raged across the country, China even closed its borders and made it difficult for its citizens to travel.
Corona in China: Hard lockdown in Shanghai – Babies are separated from their parents
The largest city in the country is currently having to put up with correspondingly tough corona measures. In order to get the corona outbreak under control, the authorities in Shanghai imposed a two-phase lockdown at the end of March. The eastern part and then the western part of the city were to be cordoned off one after the other for four days each. A week after lockdown began, Shanghai residents are still not allowed to exercise outside or walk their dogs. People have got the impression that the imposed lockdown has been quietly extended.
Anger is growing among the population of the huge metropolis. An admission by the local health authorities on Monday (April 4) also contributed to this. They should have admitted that even babies and toddlers had been separated from their parents after positive corona tests.
Corona in China: Isolation of infected people even with no or mild symptoms
The extremely strict Chinese corona rules do not stop at families either. In this way, every infected person is isolated from non-infected people. And this regardless of age and even if the person infected with the coronavirus has no or only mild symptoms. Shanghai health officials confirmed that children who tested positive but whose family members tested negative were separated from their parents.
“If the child is under the age of seven, these children will be treated at a state health center,” said Wu Qianyu of the city health commission. Older children or teenagers would be isolated in quarantine centers in the event of a corona infection.
China: Corona lockdown in Shanghai causes anger among the population – measures “absurd”
Angry parents vented their feelings on the Weibo platform, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. “Parents must meet ‘conditions’ to accompany their children? This is absurd, it should be their fundamental right,” wrote one user. Videos were also shared showing babies and young children in state institutions. However, the recordings could not be verified.
However, the emerging critical tones from the population did not cause the authorities in Shanghai to rethink. Rather, official Wu defended the strategy as an essential part of the “prevention and control measures” against the coronavirus. And added: “We have made it clear that children whose parents are also positive can live in the same place as their parents.” It remains to be seen whether this will be sufficient for the citizens of Shanghai. (kh)
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