The capital reported 1,438 cases on Tuesday, a record since the pandemic began. Across the country, the total daily number of cases has now crossed 28,000.
Beijing on Tuesday (Nov 22) recorded its highest number of Covid-19 cases in nearly three years, prompting authorities to issue the order. Schools and restaurants closedMany employees are invited to work from home.
The capital of 22 million people, which recorded 621 new local cases on Sunday, recorded 1,438 on Tuesday, a record since the pandemic began. Nationwide, the total number of daily cases, including imported cases, has now exceeded 28,000, with southern Guangdong province and the southwestern city of Chongqing hardest hit, according to health officials.
New variants and first deaths since May
China is the last major global economy to use a strict health policy known as zero covid, which aims to do everything to prevent contamination and death. It consists of incarceration as soon as cases appear, isolation for those who test positive, and almost daily PCR tests for the population. But this strategy, originally effective in preventing the spread of the virus, appears to have run out of steam in the face of new variants. and severely affects the economyIt isolates China from the rest of the world, fueling strong China fatigue.
Read moreCovid: China stumbles on messenger RNA vaccines
Three elderly Beijing residents with pre-existing medical conditions died of Covid-19 over the weekend, the first deaths linked to the virus since May. Authorities in the capital appear to want to avoid strict lockdowns similar to those used in Shanghai in the spring, but have stepped up hygiene measures in recent days. Almost 600 areas of the capital, including residential buildings, are considered “High risk“, which forces their citizens to confine themselves to their homes or move them to quarantine centers.
Zero Covid policy
Schools have switched to online classes, restaurants, gyms, parks and tourist sites have closed, and employees have been asked to work from home. In the streets, queues stretch in front of Covid-19 checkpoints, and most public places now require a negative result within 24 hours to enter.
Read more“Zero Covid” cuts off Chinese exports
However, the Chinese government unveiled several significant relaxations of its zero-covid policy on November 11, including shortening quarantine times for travelers from abroad. Several Chinese cities also suspended large-scale testing last week, but some have reinstated them, reflecting the difficulty of controlling the highly contagious Omicron variant.
See more – Covid-19: Reintegrating unvaccinated caregivers poses problem of “professional ethics,” says Brown.
“Web specialist. Infuriatingly humble coffee ninja. Wannabe zombie advocate. Subtly charming tv fanatic. Avid social media scholar.”