The government of the Chinese capital Beijing said on Saturday (25) that it would allow primary and secondary schools to resume face-to-face classes, and the main head of Shanghai’s ruling party declared victory over the Covid-19 after the city reported no local cases of infection for the first time in two months.
The country’s two main cities are among several places in China that implemented restrictions to prevent the propagation of the wave generated by the Omicron variant from March to May, with Shanghai imposing a two-month city-wide lockdown that was lifted on June 1.
The efforts, part of China’s adherence to a Covid-zero policy that seeks to eradicate all outbreaks of the disease, have reduced the number of cases, but many of the heavy measures have fueled anger and even rare protests, and have taken a heavy toll on the economy. .
Beijing closed its schools in early May and urged students to switch to online learning amid a surge in locally transmitted cases. Middle and high school seniors were allowed to return to classrooms starting June 2.
On Saturday, with the number of cases decreasing in recent days, the capital’s education commission said that all elementary and high school students in the capital can return to face-to-face classes from Monday (27). Kindergartens will be able to reopen from the 4th of July.
The Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau has separately said that youth sports activities will be able to resume at non-school venues on June 27 in areas where no community cases have been reported for seven consecutive days, with the exception of basement venues, which will remain closed. .
Universal Beijing Resort, which had been closed for nearly two months, reopened on Saturday.
About that, Shanghai reported no new local cases – symptomatic or asymptomatic – on June 24, the first time since February 23.
Shanghai Communist Party chief Li Qiang said at the opening of the city’s party congress on Saturday that the authorities “won the war to defend Shanghai” against Covid-19, implementing the president’s instructions. Xi Jinping and that Beijing’s epidemic prevention decisions were “completely correct”.
The city, however, remains on the edge. Most students have not been allowed to resume face-to-face classes and indoor meals are still prohibited. The government also plans to continue carrying out PCR tests en masse to its 25 million inhabitants every weekend until the end of July.
And underscoring the ongoing difficulties in ending Omicron, the southern city of Shenzhen, which implemented a week-long lockdown in March, said on Saturday it would close all cinemas and parks, as well as suspend public events in the Futian district, after six local cases were reported on Friday.
Restaurants in the district, which has a population of about 1.55 million people and is home to the headquarters of Chinese insurance giant Ping An and the city government, will also be limited to 50% of their usual capacity, officials said.
The city now also requires residents to show a negative Covid-19 test to enter public places that was performed within the last 24 hours, shortened from the 48 hours previously, which, in essence, requires people to test themselves daily to enter places such as malls or use public transport.
Source: CNN Brasil
