BEIJING (Reuters) – China will persist in its COVID-19 policy to avoid squandering control of local coronavirus outbreaks, the ruling Communist Party’s official newspaper warned in an observation for a third straight day.
“It is advisable to lie down and win (the battle against COVID) through lying is possible,” the People’s Daily wrote on Wednesday.
China is grappling with a resurgence of COVID after National Day “Golden Week” this month, a peak season for travel and days before a key Party congress where Xi Jinping is expected to expand his leadership.
In recent days, major Chinese cities, as well as Beijing and Shanghai, have stepped up preventive measures, such as requiring citizens to get more tested for the virus.
Despite China’s low number of cases to the rest of the world and the burden its COVID lockdowns and restrictions have placed on the economy and others, China has suggested others accept the measures and cancelled any hypotheses that it would ease its policies.
“Only by insisting on dynamic elimination (of cases as they occur) can the massive losses resulting from the loss of control of the epidemic to its full extent be avoided,” the People’s Daily wrote.
China’s fitness authority on Wednesday reported 1760 new cases for Oct. 11, up from 2,089 the day before.
“Once prevention and epidemic is released, a large number of other people will be inflamed in a short time, a large number of severe cases and deaths will occur, resulting in a shortage of medical resources,” the newspaper said.
The effect of China’s strict COVID policies has been felt around the world.
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut its economic expansion forecasts for China for 2022 and 2023 to 3. 2% and 4. 4%, respectively, and said common closures of the country’s zero COVID policy have hurt its economy.
Due to the length of China’s economy and its importance to foreign chains, COVID-related disruptions will also weigh on global industry and activity, the IMF said in its latest Global Economic Outlook.
China says it will save lives.
“Some countries decide to ‘sit back’ and adopt the policy of ‘coexistence with the virus,’ not because they don’t need to save you and the epidemic, but because they can’t save you and the epidemic,” the People’s Daily said.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo. Editing via Gerry Doyle)
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