Beijing and several other major cities in China reported record Covid-19 infections on Monday, putting authorities under more pressure to quickly contain outbreaks while trying to reduce the impact on people’s lives and activity. economic. 🇧🇷
Nationwide, 16,072 new locally transmitted cases were reported by the National Health Commission, up from 14,761 on Sunday and the highest in China since April 25, when Shanghai was battling its most severe outbreak.
Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Zhengzhou recorded their worst day so far, although in the case of the capital the count was a few hundred cases, while the other cities counted thousands.
The case load is very small compared to the infection levels found in other countries, but China’s insistence on eliminating outbreaks as soon as they emerge under its Covid Zero policy has increased the impact on communities and the economy.
On Friday (11), the National Health Commission updated its Covid rules in the most significant easing of restrictions to date, describing the changes as an “optimization” of its measures to soften the impact on people’s lives.
While individuals, neighborhoods and public spaces may still be subject to lockdowns to prevent the spread of outbreaks, the commission relaxed some measures, including shortening the quarantine time for close contacts.
Close secondary contacts are no longer identified and isolated – a major inconvenience for people involved in contact tracing efforts when a case is found.
Areas considered at risk from broader outbreaks are now categorized as “high” and “low” – eliminating the “medium” category in an attempt to minimize the number of people involved in control measures.
when to reopen
Despite the loosening of restrictions, many experts say the measures are incremental, with some predicting that China is unlikely to start reopening until after the March session of parliament at the earliest.
“Currently, Covid cases are increasing in major cities like Guangzhou and Chongqing, and Covid Zero policy continues, suggesting downside risks to short-term growth prospects,” analysts at US investment bank Goldman Sachs said in a statement. note on Monday.
According to Goldman Sachs, “the government is likely to initiate China’s final exit from more than three years of Covid Zero policy” after parliamentary sessions in March, assuming all medical and communication preparations are made.
Consumer staples stocks remained bearish on Monday, while tourism and transportation stocks tumbled as domestic COVID cases surged and some investors booked profits on previous Covid easing bets.
Beijing reported 407 cases on Monday, compared with 235 the day before.
In the southern city of Guangzhou, new locally transmitted cases hit a new record of 4,065, compared with 3,653 the day before.
The main industrial hub of Zhengzhou in central China reported 2,981 new infections, up from 2,642 a day earlier.
Chongqing, a southwestern city with more than 32 million people, also saw a jump in cases to 2,297 from 1,820 the day before.
Source: CNN Brasil
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