China yesterday reported its highest number of new COVID-19 infections in six months, a day after health officials said they were sticking with strict coronavirus curbs, dashing hopes for an easing.
China recorded 4,420 new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections on Saturday, the Chinese National Health Commission said, the most since May 6, and up from 3,659 new local cases a day earlier.
Although case numbers are extremely low by global standards, China has stuck with a “zero COVID-19” approach for almost three, involving lockdowns, quarantines, frequent testing and a drastic decrease in inbound travel.
Photo: AP
At a news conference on Saturday, health officials reiterated their commitment to the “dynamic-clearing” approach to COVID-19 cases as soon as they emerge.
China’s anti-COVID-19 measures are “completely correct, as well as the most economical and effective,” disease control official Hu Xiang said. “We should adhere to the principle of putting people and lives first, and the broader strategy of preventing imports from outside and internal rebounds.”
The announcement follows speculation that the country was considering changing its disease containment policy that has disrupted economic growth and daily life.
The death of a three-year-old boy in a quarantined residential compound had fueled growing discontent with the anti-virus controls and triggered rumors of policy shifts.
However, many analysts said they do not expect significant easing to begin until after China’s annual parliamentary session in March.
China’s southern city of Guangzhou continued to report rising infections, with 66 new locally transmitted symptomatic and 1,259 asymptomatic cases, compared with 111 symptomatic and 635 asymptomatic cases a day earlier, city authorities said.
China’s capital, Beijing, reported 43 symptomatic and six asymptomatic cases, compared with 37 symptomatic and five asymptomatic cases the previous day.
The annual Beijing Marathon took place yesterday morning under strict COVID-19 protocols, after being canceled the previous two years.
About 26,000 participants registered for the event that began under smoggy skies in central Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Runners were required to take PCR tests for the three days leading up to the race and not to leave Beijing for seven days.
It is thought there are about 200 lockdowns across China, with the harshest and longest in highly securitized regions.
Restrictions are also in place in parts of Inner Mongolia and the western Xinjiang region, where 43 new high-risk areas were designated on Saturday, including Urumqi, the regional capital.
Frustrations over the severity of the measures have escalated in Wuhan, where videos show residents damaging public property and shouting “give us freedom.”
Health officials admitted that some areas had been guilty of an unscientific “one-size-fits-all” attitude to lockdowns, singling out the western cities of Nanchong and Bijie.
“We attach great importance to these problems and are rectifying them,” disease control official Tuo Jia said.
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