- Shanghai records no COVID cases outside of quarantine areas
- Beijing is in suspense and is preparing for further restrictions
- The breakthrough would mean victory for Xi in a crucial year
- Infections ease as China begins Labor Day holiday
SHANGHAI/BEJING, April 30 – Shanghai said on Saturday it had detected no new daily COVID-19 cases outside quarantine zones, marking a major milestone in its fight to contain the virus that has been crippling the city of 25 million people has placed residents in Beijing on the outskirts.
Streets in the capital were eerily quiet at the start of a long Labor Day break, and residents feared authorities would impose further restrictions during a holiday when many typically travel or socialize.
Scenes of homes and buildings in Shanghai, China’s most populous city, where residents have been locked up to prevent them from leaving, have made headlines in recent weeks as most other countries around the world learn to live with the coronavirus.
China maintains a zero-COVID policy aimed at eradicating the disease, prompting anger and frustration among residents who have been locked down for more than a month. Some struggling to find food and other essentials have rarely shown public opposition to the government’s tight controls.
If the zero-tolerance campaign works, it would be a victory for President Xi Jinping’s approach in a year when he is expected to win a precedent-breaking third term at the helm.
Shanghai officials didn’t discuss the milestone at their daily news briefing on Friday’s figures, but Chinese social media cheered as the topic “Shanghai sees no community-level COVID transmission” garnered more than 190,000 views on the Weibo platform on Saturday morning.
“Shanghai finally hit zero at community level!!! May Shanghai wake up as soon as possible!!” reads one post. “There is hope that we can be released after the May break,” said another.
Zero cases on Friday outside quarantine areas in Shanghai compared to 108 on Thursday. Other Chinese cities under lockdown have begun to relax curbs after halting transmission outside quarantine districts.
However, some doubt the milestone in Shanghai, noting that most of the city’s residents have been quarantined in some form.
On Saturday, health officials said there were nearly 16,000 lockdown areas in Shanghai, preventing more than 4 million people from leaving their homes. Another 5.4 million people have been prevented from leaving their connections.
In practice, many of the remaining residents in low-risk prevention areas are still not allowed to leave their compounds.
“The city’s epidemic and prevention control is still in a critical state at present, and the trend is still for people to strengthen controls,” said Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the Shanghai Health Commission. “Let’s all hold on to this hard-won level of defense that we’ve achieved.”
The struggle to contain the highly transmissible Omicron variant in Shanghai has weighed on the economy, businesses and people, while restrictions have left delivery companies overwhelmed and logistics chains stuck.
China’s factory activity in April shrank at its fastest pace in 26 months, to the lowest level since the early months of the pandemic, which was first detected in central China, when lockdowns halted industrial production and disrupted supply chains. Data released on Saturday raised fears of a sharp slowdown in the second quarter, which will weigh on global growth. Continue reading
Shanghai officials, who say they are anxious for factories to get back to work, said more than 80% of the 666 prioritized companies have resumed production, creating a second list of 1,188 companies.
Infections are easing as the world’s most populous country enters the Labor Day break, which lasts until Wednesday, traditionally one of China’s busiest tourist seasons but taking a big hit this year due to the virus. Continue reading
Some observers say authorities have been less strict in getting people to take tests in recent days.
In Beijing, authorities are trying to detect COVID cases and isolate close contacts with those infected. The local government said residents must submit nucleic acid test results within seven days before entering public places or taking public transport that will apply after the holiday break.
Adding to frustration in both cities, officials have not provided a timeline or strategy for returning to some semblance of normality.
Nomura estimates 46 cities are in full or partial lockdown, affecting 343 million people. Societe Generale estimates that provinces with significant mobility restrictions account for 80% of China’s economic output.
China will ramp up policy support for the economy in response to COVID and other headwinds, a top Communist Party decision-making body said on Friday, lifting stocks from a two-year low. Continue reading
Shanghai reported 47 COVID-19 deaths for Friday, up from 52 the day before.
Some have questioned the death rate, as many residents said relatives or friends had died back in March after contracting coronavirus.
Beijing was reporting 48 symptomatic COVID-19 cases daily, compared with 47 the previous day, the Xinhua News Agency said on Saturday. The city also recorded six asymptomatic cases, up from two the day before, it said.
Mainland China reported 10,793 COVID-19 cases daily, up from 15,688 new cases the day before, the National Health Commission said on Saturday.
Reporting by Brenda Goh in Shanghai and Min Zhang in Beijing; writing from Anne Marie Roantree; Edited by Gerry Doyle and William Mallard