The infection rate has risen to its highest point since August. The increase is due to increased domestic travel during National Day “Golden Week”, earlier in the month.
Shanghai and Shenzhen are among the major Chinese cities that have intensified testing for COVID-19, as there has been an increase in infections. As a result, some authorities have closed schools and entertainment venues, and shut down tourist spots.
The infection rate has risen to its highest point since August. This increase is due to increased domestic travel during National Day “Golden Week”, earlier in the month.
The most number of local infections since August 20th, 2,089 were reported by authorities on Tuesday, October 10.
Although many cases were reported in tourist areas, including the Northern Region of Inner Mongolia, more cases have been reported by megacities, which are frequently the destination of wealthy and well-travelled tourists.
Shanghai, China’s financial center of 25 million people, reported 28 cases local to Oct. 10, the fourth consecutive day of double-digit rises.
To avoid a repeat economic and psychologically damaging lockdown, Shanghai declared late Monday that all 16 districts of Shanghai would be conducting routine testing at least twice per week up to Nov. 10. This is an increase on the previous regime of once a week.
Authorities stated that the authorities should strengthen security checks for travelers coming from abroad and at places like hotels.
Some are already being enticed by the growing web of measures.
Peter Lee, an expatriate from Britain, was having lunch with his wife, and seven-year-old son, when he was informed that his apartment block had been locked down for 48 hours.
Lee and his son checked into the hotel. The hotel was locked down because of a virus-carrier’s previous visit. Lee’s wife was due to join them but couldn’t make it so she returned home to be locked up and had her lockdown extended.
Father and son will be released Thursday. Lee’s wife won’t be released until Sunday.
Lee explained to Reuters that “it might be that we say, “We miss home” and “we miss mum too much” and then maybe we just go back and deal with it. But, Lee also said that they lose another weekend.
“We’re watching the situation as Shanghai is slowly shutting down. If that happens, there won’t much point in being able come and go.”
“FINAL PRICE”
Nomura reports that 36 Chinese cities were currently under lockdown or control. That compares to 179.7million in the previous week.
China’s Shenzhen is a major tech hub. The highly transmissible BF.7 Omicron has just surfaced. This led to local cases nearly tripling to 33 by Oct. 10, compared to the day before.
Three days of tests will be conducted on inbound travelers, officials from the city with 18 million inhabitants announced Tuesday.
The authorities in Xian (northwest China), which had reported just over 100 cases between Oct. 1-10, abruptly halted classes at schools and closed many public spaces.
Despite China’s small caseload compared to other countries and the impact its counter-epidemic policy has on the economy and people, the government has repeated its call for people to accept the measures.
“Once there is a large scale rebound, the epidemic will spread and will have a serious effect on economic and socio-development, and will be more costly and will result in greater losses,” the state-controlled People’s Daily said in a comment on Tuesday.
The COVID preventive actions come days before a Communist Party congress which begins Oct. 16 and where Xi Jinping is expected extend his leadership.
Analysts at Clocktower Group in the United States said that “the latest resurgence draconian COVID-19 restraints is likely to have a temporary nature given the priority of keeping things under control before the all-important meeting.”
“However the People’s Daily’s tripling back on the zero COVID-19 narrative is a significant concern. It suggests that a major reformation of policy may still be possible.”
