[베이징=이데일리 신정은 특파원] As Shanghai, China’s ‘economic capital’, enters its second week of city lockdown, residents’ anxiety is rising to an extreme. Unconfirmed rumors aggravate the confusion as the lockdown lift schedule has been delayed without any promise. Roads in each region of China as well as in Shanghai are controlled, and concerns regarding logistics disruption are growing.
On the 10th, a post was uploaded on Weibo, a Chinese social media (SNS), etc., in a blockade area in Shanghai, saying that residents in a quarantined area in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, were beaten by a quarantine agent in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. has gone
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As the controversy spread, the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau said, “As a result of investigating the video that has become a hot topic online, an executive of the Residents’ Committee, wearing a white protective suit, fell in the process of resolving a dispute between residents. The scene was filmed where a quarantine agent from Jiangsu was helping a fallen resident committee executive.”
Earlier, in Shanghai, ‘In Suzhou, ‘Fangchang Hospital (方艙醫院 Temporary Hospital) is being built for Shanghai Corona 19 patients’, ‘My brother’s friend took his own life because he mightn’t stand the children being quarantined at home alone’, Various unconfirmed rumors circulated, such as ‘All medical staff at a hospital were infected and the PCR test was stopped’.
Chinese authorities have decided to strengthen crackdowns following unconfirmed rumors regarding the COVID-19 spread on the Internet. The Shanghai Internet Information Office warned, “From the 10th, we will cooperate with the Ministry of Public Security to strengthen surveillance of acts that create and spread rumors on the Internet that cause social confusion.”
Not only in Shanghai, but throughout China, rumors spread that highways in more than 10 provinces, including Zhejiang, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, and Shandong, were completely blocked due to quarantine measures. In the Chinese map app, there was also speculation that Beijing might be blocked as a toll gate near Beijing was also displayed as ‘under construction’ or ‘blocked’.
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In response, the Chinese transport authorities explained, “Not all expressways in more than 10 provinces have been closed, but some sections with low traffic volume have been closed. China is installing checkpoints near toll booths as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In fact, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, has 93 roads connected to other cities, and 13 of them have closed toll booths. Ningbo also closed 15 of its 59 tollgates. In addition, Shaanxi and Henan provinces have closed 13 and 15 highway rest stops, respectively, as well as some toll stations.
However, it is true that logistics are severely stagnant as highway controls continue in various regions across China.
In an interview with a Chinese media, a truck driver, Mr. Limo, said, “I drove close to 600 km to bypass the distance that would normally be reached in 170 km.” “The additional cost was shared with the customer. It was the most difficult delivery,” he said.
According to China Low-floor Securities, the average land freight volume in the first week of April decreased by 31% from the previous year and by 27% from the previous month. In particular, areas under lockdown, such as Shanghai and Jilin Province, have decreased by more than 80%.
Amid concerns regarding the logistics crisis, China’s Ministry of Transport, through Weixin (WeChat) official account, said, “Corona 19 control and economic and social development are both important.” We will keep it,” he said.
Production disruptions at each plant in China are still there. Following the shutdown of Tesla’s factory in Shanghai, China’s leading electric vehicle maker Nio (Wei Lai) also announced that it was unable to produce vehicles due to the shutdown of its parts supplier’s factory.
However, the problem is that it is not known when the strict zero-corona (Qingling) policy in each region of China will end. In Changchun, Jilin Province, in northeastern China, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 fell to triple digits only following a month of city lockdown, entering a calming phase. From the 11th to the 31st of last month, Changchun City has been implementing a total lockdown, including prohibiting all residents from going out and suspending production and commercial facilities. In a briefing on the 9th, Jilin’s quarantine authorities said, “On the premise of preventing the outbreak of COVID-19, we will gradually restore order in production activities, such as resuming operation of production facilities and public transportation.”
