Shanghai: Shanghai Most virus infections reported since late May, doubling of cases fuel worries China’s financial center could find itself back in lockdown covid zero,
The city announced 54 local COVID infections for Wednesday, two of which were found outside quarantine, after concerns were raised that the virus could spread silently through communities. Shanghai has already increased its mass testing with parts of 10 districts and two others – out of the financial center’s total of 16 – conducting two PCR tests for all residents over a period of three days.
Elsewhere, Beijing announced four new cases after officials said on Wednesday they had detected the highly infectious BA.5.2 subvariant. The capital is set to implement China’s first vaccine mandate next week, limiting the entry of entertainment and cultural venues to a limited number of people, and requiring booster shots for a number of industries, including medical workers.
The BA.5 subvariant has already emerged in the west of China, with the city of Xi’an reporting the country’s first domestic spread this week. Authorities have imposed sweeping restrictions, but have kept its 13 million residents from confined to their homes. Shanghai said that its flareup is related to the earlier Omicron subvariant.
The latest test for China’s COVID zero policy comes soon after bringing earlier outbreaks under control, requiring Shanghai’s two-month brutal lockdown, which took a huge economic and social toll. While officials still have to bring back strict lockdowns in major cities, the President Xi Jinping has confirmed that the country will stick to Covid Zero, adding that China will bear some temporary impact on economic growth, rather than the virus causing harm to people’s safety and health.
Beijing’s vaccine mandate – while China’s first foray into a vaccine-boosting strategy was taken a year ago by other countries – remained a cautious effort to avoid a strong backlash from residents because the regulation would not apply to schools, hospitals and restaurants. Nevertheless, many took to social media to complain about the move and cited a 2021 statement from China’s top health regulator, the National Health Commission, that covid vaccination cannot be forced and It should be voluntary.
Nationwide, there were 338 infections for Wednesday, most of which came from a small county in the eastern province of Anhui that is already under lockdown. Cases have also been reported in nearby areas, including the logistics hub of Xuzhou, although officials are yet to establish whether the clusters are linked.
Biotech and solar manufacturing hub Wuxi reported about 30 infections on Wednesday. The city has closed entertainment venues and suspended dine-in services and required delivery staff to conduct three COVID tests a day, including one PCR and two rapid antigen tests.
The city announced 54 local COVID infections for Wednesday, two of which were found outside quarantine, after concerns were raised that the virus could spread silently through communities. Shanghai has already increased its mass testing with parts of 10 districts and two others – out of the financial center’s total of 16 – conducting two PCR tests for all residents over a period of three days.
Elsewhere, Beijing announced four new cases after officials said on Wednesday they had detected the highly infectious BA.5.2 subvariant. The capital is set to implement China’s first vaccine mandate next week, limiting the entry of entertainment and cultural venues to a limited number of people, and requiring booster shots for a number of industries, including medical workers.
The BA.5 subvariant has already emerged in the west of China, with the city of Xi’an reporting the country’s first domestic spread this week. Authorities have imposed sweeping restrictions, but have kept its 13 million residents from confined to their homes. Shanghai said that its flareup is related to the earlier Omicron subvariant.
The latest test for China’s COVID zero policy comes soon after bringing earlier outbreaks under control, requiring Shanghai’s two-month brutal lockdown, which took a huge economic and social toll. While officials still have to bring back strict lockdowns in major cities, the President Xi Jinping has confirmed that the country will stick to Covid Zero, adding that China will bear some temporary impact on economic growth, rather than the virus causing harm to people’s safety and health.
Beijing’s vaccine mandate – while China’s first foray into a vaccine-boosting strategy was taken a year ago by other countries – remained a cautious effort to avoid a strong backlash from residents because the regulation would not apply to schools, hospitals and restaurants. Nevertheless, many took to social media to complain about the move and cited a 2021 statement from China’s top health regulator, the National Health Commission, that covid vaccination cannot be forced and It should be voluntary.
Nationwide, there were 338 infections for Wednesday, most of which came from a small county in the eastern province of Anhui that is already under lockdown. Cases have also been reported in nearby areas, including the logistics hub of Xuzhou, although officials are yet to establish whether the clusters are linked.
Biotech and solar manufacturing hub Wuxi reported about 30 infections on Wednesday. The city has closed entertainment venues and suspended dine-in services and required delivery staff to conduct three COVID tests a day, including one PCR and two rapid antigen tests.