A city in central China has decreed a lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, according to local officials.
The municipal government of Yuzhou, Henan Province, said all 1.2 million residents will be confined to their homes after only two asymptomatic cases were reported on Sunday (2). A third asymptomatic local infection was identified this Monday (3), the government added.
Excluding essential services such as supermarkets, all public facilities, including schools, public transport and shopping malls, have suspended operations.
Those working in essential industries such as drug production and power plants must test negative for Covid-19, the government said.
China reported 108 new local cases in three provinces in the second, including 95 in northwestern Shaanxi province, eight in southeastern Zhejiang and five in Henan, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).
Yuzhou’s lockdown reflects the strict restrictions imposed on Xi’an residents. Since December, the city has been battling China’s biggest community coronavirus outbreak since Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic.
To date, more than 1,700 cases have been reported at the site. While the number is small compared to many other countries, the outbreak has pushed China’s caseload in the final week of 2021 to the highest level since March 2020.
Xi’an’s 13 million residents have been confined to their homes since December 23. Many are desperate because they are short of essential supplies, including groceries, and lack medical attention.
Xi’an authorities launched a fifth round of mass testing on Tuesday, vowing to eliminate the outbreak.
But the residents’ frustrations underscore the growing challenge facing China’s Covid zero policy, which relies on a manual of massive tests, extensive quarantines and instant lockdowns to prevent any resurgence of the virus.
While the stringent measures have largely protected most of the country from the worst aspects of the pandemic, as local outbreaks continue to mount, the outcry in Xi’an raises the question of how long zero-Covid can be sustained before the Public support begins to wane, with millions of residents trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of blockades.
This content was originally created in English.
original version
Reference: CNN Brasil
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