Shanghai authorities reported this Saturday that they had not detected new daily cases of Covid-19 outside the quarantine areas, marking a milestone in their battle to contain the virus, which has paralyzed the city of 25 million inhabitants and has unnerved residents of the capital, Beijing.
Beijing’s streets were eerily quiet at the start of a five-day Labor Day break, with residents anxious for authorities to impose more restrictions during a holiday when many often travel or socialize.
“You look at a city that used to be crowded and now it’s empty. You wonder how these people manage to survive,” said Li, 35, who works in the financial sector in Beijing, breaking down in tears.
In the eastern commercial capital of Shanghai, scenes of houses and buildings surrounded by fences to prevent residents from leaving have grabbed the news at a time when most other countries in the world are learning to live with Covid-19. .
China maintains a zero-Covid policy aimed at stamping out the disease, leading to frustration, especially in Shanghai, where many residents have been in lockdown for more than a month. Some, struggling to find food and other daily necessities, have shown rare public opposition to strict government controls.
However, if the zero-tolerance campaign works, it would be a victory for President Xi Jinping’s approach in a year in which he is expected to win an unprecedented third term.
The representatives of Shanghai they did not discuss the interruption in the transmission of Covid-19 in their daily press conference, although social networks applauded the news.
“Shanghai has finally reached zero at the community level! Let Shanghai wake up ASAP!” read a post on the Weibo platform.
Zero cases on Friday outside quarantine areas in Shanghai compared to 108 on Thursday. Some, however, downplayed the milestone, noting that most of the city’s residents were locked in some form of quarantine.
On Saturday, health authorities said there were nearly 16,000 cordoned off areas in Shanghai, with more than 4 million people unable to leave their homes. Another 5.4 million people were prevented from leaving their compounds.
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, and the trend remains that people need to strengthen controls,” said Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the Shanghai health commission.
Economic impact
the battle in Shanghai to curb the highly transmissible variant Omicron It has taken a heavy toll on the economy, with logistics chains crippled by restrictions.
The manufacturing activity China in April it shrank at the fastest pace in 26 months to the lowest level since the early months of the pandemic, first detected in central China, as lockdowns halted industrial production and disrupted supply chains. Data published on Saturday raised fears of a sharp slowdown in the second quarter that will weigh on global growth.
The officials of Shanghaiwho say they are eager to get factories back up and running, said that more than 80% of the 666 prioritized companies had restarted production and that they had drawn up a second list of 1,188 companies.
Infections are declining as China go into recess Labor Daywhich runs through Wednesday, traditionally one of the strongest tourist seasons.
Beijing will implement another two rounds of tests of Covid-19 on May 1 and 3 in its most populous district of Chaoyang, known for its nightlife, shopping malls and embassies. The city will halt all restaurant services between May 1 and 4, an official with the local commerce office said, asking residents to “cook at home.”
Officials have not provided a timeline or strategy for returning to a semblance of normalcy.
Nomura estimates that 46 cities are in full or partial lockdown, affecting 343 million people. Societe Generale estimates that provinces experiencing significant restrictions account for 80% of China’s economic output.
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