China has locked down parts of central Xian, confining some of the city’s 13 million people to their homes for at least one week, and other major hubs are rolling out restrictions in a reinforcement of the country’s commitment to “zero COVID.”
While the entire city has not been shut down, some areas are being “managed” according to rules that apply to neighborhoods in China deemed to be of high or medium risk for COVID-19, according to a local media report posted on the Xian government’s official WeChat account late on Thursday.
The city had 57 high-risk areas as of Thursday, and 74 medium-risk, a separate post showed.
Photo: AP
Residents in high-risk areas need to stay at home until no new COVID-19 infections are reported for seven days and the areas are downgraded to medium risk, the Chinese National Health Commission said.
People living in medium-risk areas are restricted to movement within those neighborhoods until no new infections are reported over a seven-day period. Xian posted 37 local infections for Thursday, up from 34 the day before.
Elsewhere, Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) imposed curbs in its main iPhone assembly campus in Zhengzhou, and more Shanghai residents are facing restrictions.
The curbs come even as officials at the national level debate whether to reduce the amount of time people coming into the country must spend in mandatory quarantine.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Sunday signaled no change to the “zero COVID” approach, disappointing investors who had hoped for some signs of loosening. During a speech opening the Chinese Communist Party congress in Beijing, Xi said the rules protect people’s lives, although he did not mention the economic toll.
Shanghai, which posted 13 local infections on Thursday, stepped up virus curbs while the party congress is occurring. A growing number of apartments and residential compounds have been locked down due to positive cases.
In Henan Province, Foxconn shut cafeterias at its Zhengzhou plant, asked workers to eat in their dorm rooms and requires workers to wear secure N95 masks. The company also imposed restrictions on staff movement, closing some entrances while mandating employees commute to plants only on certain routes.
The city reported 15 new cases and has locked down one of its most-populated districts.
In the neighboring province of Anhui, Hefei reported eight new cases and shut indoor facilities including cinemas, gyms and bars to curb the spread of COVID-19, a statement from the municipal government said.
While China’s most important cities have so far avoided large-scale shutdowns, the creeping restrictions underscore a constant threat of disruption to daily life.
Rumors about a city-wide lockdown in Xian began on Thursday afternoon, leading to residents panic-buying groceries and emptying shelves in supermarkets, social media posts showed.
China reported 783 infections on Thursday, with cases holding well below a peak of nearly 2,000 earlier this month.
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