Oct 11 (UPI) – China is stepping up its strict “zero-COVID” policies, adding bans, business closures and citywide quarantines, as new virus cases rise across the country after a week of national holidays.
This week’s COVID-19 restrictions were in response to nearly tripling new COVID-19 cases in the space of a week.
Some of the lockdowns have been in place for most of the year, with infections, transmissions and deaths increasing in the spring and summer.
By Tuesday, practical policies to curb the spread were evident in nearly every corner of the country.
More than 2,000 new cases were reported last week in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, where several hundred cases a day are believed to be emerging.
An outbreak in Xinjiang, a popular tourist spot in the southern province of Yunnan, forced the city to close from Oct. 4, with no one allowed to enter or leave the domain until additional notice.
Elsewhere, 3 popular entertainment districts in central Shanghai were forced to close on Monday, while many schools in central China also canceled categories for the foreseeable future.
As of Monday, nearly two dozen provincial regions in mainland China reported just over 400 new symptomatic infections, while 2,000 are believed to be inflamed with the virus but have no symptoms.
Recent government knowledge showed that customer confidence in China fell 26% compared to the same as last year, as other people reduced their vacation spending.
The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, a series of editorials hailing COVID-related restrictions as a strategic measure that will stabilize the economy and minimize losses amid a developing health emergency.