China: schools, gyms, and bars shut down in Shanghai as covid returns
New Delhi: Shanghai’s Covid cases jumped to a three-month high and the stealth rollout of restrictions spread to other major cities across the country as officials try to contain the virus just days before one of China’s most important political events.
The financial hub reported 47 new infections for Wednesday, the most since July 13 when a brief rise in cases revived fears of another general lockdown. Of the latest cases, all but two were found in quarantine. Beijing recorded 18 cases Wednesday. Nationwide, there were 1,406 new local cases for Wednesday, down from 1,709 the day before.
Social media users lamented the never-ending cycle of shutdowns and reopenings that’s a feature of China’s Covid Zero policy. Others speculated whether they may face another lockdown just months after a two-month ordeal that saw many in Shanghai struggle to access food and medical care.
Authorities in the financial hub said Sunday there’s no citywide school shutdown after speculation rippled through social media that the measure would be rolled out. Some neighborhoods are locked down, while individual compounds in other areas have been barricaded with the green fences that were a feature of the extended shutdown earlier this year.
President Xi has made Covid Zero a cornerstone of his leadership, despite its growing social and economic cost, and China’s propaganda machine has ramped up its defense of the policy this week in a sign there will be no shift toward living with the virus any time soon.
(Vinayak)
