China’s COVID instances triple, prompting fresh lockdowns

Beijing — After the number of new daily COVID-19 cases tripled during a weeklong holiday, Chinese towns imposed further travel restrictions and lockdowns ahead of a big Communist Party meeting in Beijing the following week. CCTV said that the newest lockdown began on Monday in Fenyang, Shanxi province, northern China, following the discovery of a preliminary positive case in citywide testing on Sunday.

In the neighbouring region of Inner Mongolia, the capital city of Hohhot stated on Tuesday that foreign vehicles and passengers would no longer be permitted to enter the city. In around 12 days, Hohhot has reported more than 2,000 instances of the disease.

China is one of the few places in the world that still employs severe precautions to prevent the spread of the disease. In preparation for a once-every-five-years party conference that begins on Sunday, the long-ruling Communist Party is especially anxious in presenting a favorable image of the nation.

The authorities prohibited people from leaving their towns and provinces for the annual National Day holiday, which began on October 1st. However, the number of new cases per day has increased to approximately 1800 from 600 at the beginning of the interval.

Here is what a typical day under China’s extensive COVID testing system looks like at 02:06

Leaders do not want a significant outbreak to cast a shadow over the congress, but their stringent “zero-COVID” stance has taken a toll on the economy, especially small firms and temporary workers. After the summit, many in China hope the pandemic policy will be relaxed.

There have been reports of outbreaks across the country, with the greatest occurring in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. Both have been registering hundreds of new instances per day.

Both Beijing and Shanghai, where citizens underwent lengthy lockdowns earlier this year, have had a modest but growing number of instances. On Monday, two districts in Shanghai announced the shutdown of cinemas and other leisure places.

On October 9, 2022, residents of a neighborhood in Yantai, Shandong Province, China, line up in the rain for COVID-19 testing. Future Publishing/CFOTO/Getty

Beijing and other cities require a negative test result within 72 hours to enter parks, office buildings, stores, and other public spaces. This has become the standard for many Chinese, who now wait in line several times each week for a free virus test.

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