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in the midst of an epidemic rebound, Xi Jinping orders to continue the “zero Covid” policy

Several tens of millions of Chinese are imprisoned across the country. In just a few days, at least 17 cities were quarantined.

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Published on 03/17/2022 22:53 Updated on 03/18/2022 02:24

Reading time: 1 min.

No relaxation in the face of the pandemic. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the continuation of the so-called “zero Covid” policy on Thursday, March 17, as his country experiences the worst surge in the epidemic since the first wave of 2020.

“We must always put people and their lives first (…) and stop the spread of the epidemic as soon as possible,” Xi Jinping said, according to comments broadcast by public television. Several tens of millions of Chinese are imprisoned across the country. In just a few days, at least 17 cities were quarantined, including the tech metropolis of Shenzhen, with a population of 17.5 million.

Under the “zero Covid” policy, as soon as a case appears, the authorities impose strict containment measures and carry out massive and repeated checks on the population. On Thursday, 2,432 new cases were identified due to the Omicron variant due to the Omicron variant, according to the Ministry of Health. This official record is high for China.