Unless local officials manage to prevent the spread of the virus, they may be forced to invoke primary and extended restrictions on resident movement, as part of China’s “Dynamic 0 Covid” strategy.
The country’s most populous city, Shanghai, has just emerged from a painful two-month lockdown and is back on high alert, racing to isolate infections similar to the karaokes that were illegally taking positions.
Shanghai reported 54 new cases of Covid-19 transmitted on Wednesday, July 6, up from 24 the day before. More than 70 cases shown in recent days are connected to karaoke, the government said.
Overall, mainland China on Wednesday reported 338 new local cases of COVID-19, compared to 353, with no new deaths, figures that most countries would now be negligible.
But China’s technique of rigorously eliminating outbreaks as they occur makes citizens more wary of the kind of restrictions that have caused intellectual strain and monetary hardship for many, disrupted global supply chains and foreign trade, and shaken money markets.
“The resurgence of Omicron is a challenge for many other countries, but it remains a major challenge for the Chinese economy,” Nomura analysts wrote in an e, referring to the highly transmissible variant of Covid-19.
Given that China is “the largest production hub in the world, it is very likely that any new wave of Omicron will have a significant impact,” they added.
Shanghai, China’s industrial hub, ordered up to 25 million citizens to pass two mandatory COVID-19 tests between Tuesday and Thursday.
City residents conduct self-administered testing to buy food in malls or travel by public transportation, and will also be required to participate in citywide testing each week through the end of July.
Fifty complexes and residential locations were closed Thursday in Shanghai, bringing the total to 81.
About a portion of the 338 new cases in China were in the eastern province of Anhui, where more than a million people are locked up in small towns.
In Beijing, 4 new infections were reported, up from six the day before.
The capital has demanded that from July 11, at the latest, people entering crowded places, such as libraries, cinemas and gyms, must be vaccinated.
After locating a Covid-19 case involving someone who arrived from Shanghai, the city of Xinjiang, in the northern province of Shanxi, screened nearly all of its 280,000 residents, suspended taxi, transportation and bus services, and shut down entertainment venues.
In another province, Shaanxi, which reported four new cases, the cultural and tourism authority asked agencies to cancel the organization’s visits to its capital, Xian, known for its terracotta army.
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China has justified its Uncompromising Covid-19 strategy by saying it saves lives and is the economic costs “temporary. “
Officials have compared the millions of COVID-19-related deaths worldwide to the number of deaths reported in China of 5,226 since the pandemic began two or a year and a half ago.
Analysts warn, however, that some prices may simply be permanent if China’s debt burden rises and restrictions lead foreign investors and skills to reconsider their presence in the country.
Premier Li Keqiang, quoted through state media on Thursday, said China’s economy is recovering, but the foundations for recovery are solid and hard work is still needed.
China plans to set up a 500 billion yuan (S$100 billion) public infrastructure fund to revive the economy, two other people familiar with the matter told Reuters.