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by Ryan Woo
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese cities from Wuhan in central China to Xining in the northwest are doubling down on COVID-19 restrictions, sealing buildings, closing neighborhoods and throwing millions into misery in a stampede to prevent the spread of outbreaks.
On Thursday, China reported a third direct day of more than 1,000 new COVID cases nationwide, a modest count of the tens of thousands per day that sent Shanghai into a total lockdown earlier this year, enough to cause more restrictions and restrictions across the country. country.
The number of coronavirus cases in China has remained low through standards, however, its ultra-strict and disruptive containment measures this year, opposed to the highly transmissible variant of Omicron, have weighed heavily on the world’s second-largest economy.
Guangzhou, China’s fourth-largest city in terms of economic output and the provincial capital of Guangdong, on Thursday shut down more streets and neighborhoods and kept other people in their homes as the new spaces were deemed high-risk in a COVID resurgence that persisted into its fourth week.
“Many of my friends and colleagues have been cooped up at home,” said Lily Li, 28, a Guangzhou resident.
“The scenario remains unstable. Many stalls are closed. Classes have ceased and entertainment venues have also been suspended. The gym I go to has also been closed. “
As of Oct. 24, 28 cities were implementing varying degrees of lockdown measures, with about 207. 7 million people affected in regions accounting for about 25. 6 trillion yuan ($3. 55 trillion) of China’s gross domestic product, according to Nomura.
That’s nearly a quarter of China’s GDP in 2021.
Mainland Chinese stocks fell on Thursday as outbreaks weighed on confidence, while gloomy knowledge about a COVID-hit business sector cast a fresh shadow over markets.
THE LADY OF WUHAN
Wuhan, the first global outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019, reported between 20 and 25 new infections per day this week, prompting the local government to order more than 800,000 people in a district to stay home until Sunday.
“I don’t know what to do. If we can still live like this, I guess that’s what we’ll do,” said a Wuhan resident surnamed Chang, 38.
“When we see those reports about COVID, we feel a little numb now. We feel numbed by all this. We feel more and more numb. “
Wuhan also suspended the sale of red meat in parts of the city, according to photographs and social media posts, after a COVID case discovered the government said it was connected to the local chain of red meat sources.
In Xining, capital of Qinghai province, social media posts reported food shortages and inflation in the costs of goods as the health government in the city of 2. 5 million rushed to involve a COVID uptick after the National Day holiday week in early October.
“In the face of the threat of transmission, some large fruit and vegetable warehouses have been closed and quarantined,” a Xining government official said Wednesday.
Other major cities in China, in addition to Zhengzhou, Datong and Xian, put new brakes on this week to curb local outbreaks.
In Beijing, Universal Resort theme park closed Wednesday after at least one guest tested positive for coronavirus.
China has continuously vowed to stick to its zero-tolerance reaction to COVID-19 and put in place mandatory government measures to engage the virus.
($1 = 7. 2107 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Reporting via Ryan Woo; Additional reporting through Martin Quin Pollard in Beijing Josh Ye in Hong Kong; Editing through Edmund Klamann and Lincoln Feast)