China has locked down an industrial city of 9 million people overnight and reported more than 4,000 virus cases as the country’s “zero Covid” strategy faces an Omicron wave.
Health authorities on Tuesday reported 4,770 new infections nationwide, the majority in northeastern Jilin province, as the city of Shenyang in neighboring Liaoning province was ordered into a lockdown late Monday.
China has acted swiftly in recent weeks to wipe out virus clusters with a mix of hyperlocal lockdowns, mass testing and citywide closures. Two Covid-19 deaths were reported on Saturday, the first in over a year. More than 20,000 people have been infected in the Omicron strain wave, which has challenged China’s usually successful response strategies and forced authorities to make changes, including freeing up hospital beds for patients with mild symptoms.
Authorities have warned of the risk prolonged lockdowns pose to growth as the country scrambles to balance the health crisis with the needs of the world’s second largest economy.
Shenyang, an industrial hub that’s home to factories including automaker BMW, reported 47 new cases on Tuesday as authorities placed all condominiums under “closed management” and barred residents from leaving without a negative 48-hour test result.
On Monday, Shanghai Disneyland Resort closed again until further notice as the city’s case count continued to rise, with 758 reported for Sunday.
Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to “minimize the impact” of the pandemic on the country’s economy, but also urged officials to “maintain” the current zero-Covid approach. Dozens of officers have been fined or fired for failing to keep the virus under control, with threats of harsh penalties reportedly prompting some officers to take drastic action.
In Zhengzhou, a woman was reportedly quarantined for three days at a hot pot restaurant. Her friends, who left a minute earlier, bypassed the confinement, the Global Times reported.
Some cities like Shanghai have avoided a full lockdown, instead imposing a web of individual building lockdowns even as new asymptomatic infections climb into the hundreds every day.
Jilin province officials announced Monday that the first 10,000 doses of Pfizer’s oral Covid drug arrived on Sunday, marking the first time Paxlovid has been used in China.
The province imposed strict travel restrictions last week, barring locals from leaving their cities and counties, while several cities have already locked residents at home.
Southern technology powerhouse Shenzhen announced Monday it would lift its week-long lockdown “in an orderly manner” after partially easing measures on Friday to minimize the impact of virus shutdowns on factories and ports.
Health officials announced last week that only about half of Chinese over 80 have been double-vaccinated as the specter of Hong Kong’s dire Covid death rates – mostly among unvaccinated elderly people – looms over Beijing’s decision-making.