Posted12 July 2022, 12:42
Wugang authorities asked their citizens to stay at home for three days following a positive case was detected.
China experienced an increase in cases in the spring, unprecedented since 2020.
AFP
China has confined the 320,000 inhabitants of a locality in the center of the country for three days following the discovery of a single positive case of Covid-19. Almost spared by the coronavirus for two years, China experienced an increase in cases in the spring, unprecedented since 2020 in its magnitude, which affected many provinces to varying degrees.
The recent epidemic rebound is much less significant. But in line with its zero Covid strategy, the country continues to respond with lockdowns, travel restrictions and the isolation of those who test positive in quarantine centres.
Nearly 250 million Chinese subject to restrictions
To prevent any contagion, the city of Wugang (center) decreed three days of confinement on Monday following the discovery of a positive case for Covid-19. According to a notice from the town hall, the 320,000 inhabitants of the town are prohibited from leaving their homes until Wednesday. Located 750 kilometers from Beijing in Henan Province, Wugang is an important steel town.
According to estimates by Nomura Bank, nearly 250 million Chinese are currently subject to various travel restrictions, including confinements. They were 114 million a week ago. China reported 347 new positive cases nationwide on Tuesday.
This epidemic rebound, limited both in number and geographically, nevertheless raises fears of the return of restrictions, particularly in Shanghai. Since the beginning of the month, China’s largest city has once more recorded positive cases, following a drastic drop in June. Result, the 25 million of the metropolis must submit between Tuesday and Thursday to two screening tests, more than a month following the lifting of a grueling confinement in the spring.
In the province of Anhui (east), where 1.7 million inhabitants were confined last week, some residents were to carry out their fifteenth screening test on Tuesday, according to a notice from local authorities.
(AFP)