Shanghai’s measures have been expanded and prolonged as the situation deteriorated.Īfter denying for days that it had any plans for a citywide lockdown, the government announced on March 27 it would launch a staggered lockdown, first targeting one half of the city, then the other half.īy March 31, the government had abandoned its staggered approach, effectively imposing a citywide lockdown for all 25 million residents who were forbidden from leaving their neighborhoods except to get tested. So far, only two Covid deaths have been officially reported during this wave, both coming from Jilin in March. Many of those lockdowns eased by early April – leaving Shanghai the outlier, as authorities struggle to get its cases under control. Several cities, collectively home to more than 37 million residents, were placed under varying levels of lockdown in March. 90% of all cases identified in March came from Jilin and Shanghai, the two largest hotspots. In early March, cases began rising in several provinces around the country including Shandong in the east, Guangdong in the south, and Jilin in the northeast.īy the end of the month, the virus had spread to 29 of China’s 31 provinces, according to the National Health Commission (NHC). Here’s what you need to know about the latest outbreak.Ī worker stands in the middle of empty streets, in locked-down Shanghai on April 4. The sustainability of that policy is now under question, as newer, highly infectious Covid variants continue to spread throughout the population. Though this number is still far lower than in many other countries, it’s a dramatic spike for China, which has adhered to a strict zero-Covid strategy that aims to stamp out all outbreaks and chains of transmission using border controls, mass testing, quarantines and stringent lockdowns. On Wednesday, the country recorded close to 20,000 new cases – far past the peak of Wuhan in 2020, at the onset of the pandemic. All 25 million residents are under lockdown, with national health care workers and the Chinese military dispatched to boost the city’s response. Since March, China has battled its biggest Covid wave yet, with Shanghai now the largest hotspot. And public anger is mounting, with no end in sight as China clamps down. Parents have been forcibly separated from young children infected with Covid-19.
President Xi Jinping, who was elected for a third term in the Chinese Communist Party Congress, has defended the Covid zero policy in his address.Millions of people across China’s locked-down financial hub of Shanghai have been desperately seeking medical care and basic supplies like food. China's borders are still mostly closed, and new entrants must stay in a restricted area for a 10-day quarantine.Ĭhina has repeatedly pledged to uphold its zero-tolerance policy toward COVID-19 and carry out the steps that the authorities deem essential to contain the virus.
The rigorous anti-COVID-19 measures, which are still in place despite the rest of the globe opening up, have disappointed many Chinese who had hoped for some relaxation. 90% of Chinese population had completed their vaccinations as of mid-October, and 57% had had a booster dose. Since Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and J&J are among the international vaccine manufacturers that China has rejected, its locally produced vaccines are seen as being rather useless.īefore easing its restrictions, China wants more people to receive booster shots. The demand is reminiscent of the actions taken over the summer, which resulted in a two-month lockdown of the entire population of the city that wrecked the local economy, caused food shortages, and led to unusual confrontations between citizens and the police.Īccording to the business magazine Caixin, Shanghai intends to construct a permanent quarantine station on an island in the Huangpu River that splits the financial sector as a sign that China's strict policies will be maintained in the long run. Meanwhile, all 1.3 million residents of Shanghai, the largest city in China, are being subjected to mass testing on Friday, and they will be confined to their homes at least until the results are known. Apartment blocks and neighbourhoods are now subject to stay-at-home orders if even a close contact of someone infected has visited.Īfter one guest tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, the Universal Resort theme park in Beijing was forced to close. While targeted closures in the metropolises of Beijing and Shanghai continue, schools and dining at restaurants have been suspended in the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou.
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