MILLIONS UNDER LOCKDOWN AS CHINA COVID OUTBREAK GROWS

Sat 16 July 2022:

As authorities continue to enforce their zero-Covid policy, China on Saturday reported the highest number of coronavirus cases since May, placing millions of people under lockdown this weekend.

China is the last major economy still pursuing the goal of eliminating outbreaks, despite the strategy’s severe economic costs, using sudden lockdowns, protracted quarantines, and mass testing.

On Saturday, China reported 450 local infections, an increase from 432 the day before. Most cases lacked any symptoms.

This week, new restrictions were imposed in some areas of the nation due to the increasing number of cases.

Lanzhou, the capital of northwestern Gansu province, ordered its 4.4 million residents to stay home starting Wednesday, and a county in Anhui province went into lockdown from Friday.

Beihai in the southern Guangxi region on Saturday also announced lockdowns in parts of two districts that are home to more than 800,000 people.

“Currently, the epidemic prevention and control situation in Beihai city is severe and complicated, and the risk of hidden transmission in the community is relatively high,” said a government notice announcing the restrictions.

The central Henan province steelmaking hub of Wugang announced a three-day lockdown earlier in the week due to a single Covid case.

As they work to lessen the economic harm brought on by Covid restrictions, Chinese authorities have faced a significant challenge from the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the virus.

With GDP growing just 0.4% on-year, China experienced its slowest second-quarter growth rate since the initial Covid outbreak.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent