Shanghai Covid outbreak grows; Hainan issues stay-home order
Add BT as a preferred source
SHANGHAI named new mid- and high-risk areas as more Covid infections were found, with a steady increase in cases threatening to drag China’s financial capital back into lockdown.
The city reported 57 new infections for Saturday (Jul 9), according to a government statement, compared to 59 last Friday. Shanghai added 38 mid-risk areas and 1 high-risk area, the government said in a separate statement, after identifying 40 mid-risk and 3 high-risk areas the day before. Areas and complexes where infected people live are identified as risky.
Haikou, the capital of China’s southern province of Hainan, banned vehicles and people from leaving Haidian island in the north of the city from 9.30 am on Sunday local time and urged residents to stay at home, according to state media. Authorities detected “abnormal” results in 4 tubes from Covid tests conducted a day ago that had more than 150,000 samples. The city imposed temporary restrictions on Saturday that shut down most businesses and public venues for the next week.
The latest figures indicate that China’s spike in infections that began about a week ago has further to run. Officials are warily eyeing the arrival of the sub-variant BA.5, though there is little question about the country’s ongoing commitment to Covid Zero. President Xi Jinping has said his government would rather tolerate some temporary impact on the economy than let Covid hurt people’s safety and health.
Still, Beijing has yet to give up its economic growth target of around 5.5 per cent this year and has stepped up stimulus to create more jobs and bring down the elevated unemployment rate. The Economic Daily, a newspaper affiliated with the State Council, urged local authorities not to overdo curbs in an article published on Sunday.
“Covid control and economic and social development have never been a single-choice question,” wrote Wu Jiajia, a commentator for the paper. “No local government has the power to oversimplify prevention and control measures or recklessly escalate the restrictions.”
Navigate Asia in
a new global order
Get the insights delivered to your inbox.
Nationwide, China found a total of 344 cases, with Anhui remaining the province with the most infections, data from the National Health Commission show. The number of daily cases in the country rebounded to more than 100 at the end of June after dropping to double digits amid full or partial lockdowns of major cities. Beijing, which along with Shanghai previously saw severe movement restrictions, reported no new cases from Saturday.
Guangzhou, the capital city of the southern province of Guangdong, tested nearly 6.3 million people over the past day and identified 2 compounds as mid-risk areas, asking residents not to leave their neighbourhoods.
In Macau, the government reported 93 new cases from Saturday, taking the total number of infections in the latest outbreak to 1,467. The gambling hub will shut almost all business premises including casinos for a week from Monday, reviving its toughest pandemic restrictions. BLOOMBERG
Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
