Tens of millions of people are confined to China due to an uptick in infections COVID-19which makes one fear Shanghai the return of draconian restrictions.
The largest city of China It was confined for two months in the boreal spring and the strict conditions imposed exasperated part of its 25 million inhabitants.
Since June 1, most restrictions have been lifted, but some neighborhoods remain temporarily closed following the detection of some cases.
But there has been an increase in contagious from the weekend and Shanghai recorded 24 new cases on Wednesday.
Authorities launched a new round of mass testing in half of the districts of Shanghai and on Wednesday they closed the karaoke bars following detecting some infections originating in these establishments.
Fear in the population
Five weeks following the lifting of the confinement, a part of the inhabitants fear that the restrictions will return.
Some residents reported Tuesday on social media that they received food rations from the government, as they did months ago.
“Let me tell you a scary story: Putuo district is sending vegetables once more,” a resident posted on the WeChat network.
“I’m very nervous, the epidemic destroyed my youth. I’m going crazy,” wrote another user of Shanghai and Weibo.
The ‘Zero COVID’ policy, put to the test
The Ministry of Health reported 300 new cases on Wednesday across the country.
The main affected area is the province of Anhui (east), where 1.7 million inhabitants of two rural cantons are currently confined.
More than a thousand cases have been registered since last week, with infections currently reaching the province of Jiangsu (east), bordering Shanghai and a heavy manufacturing region.
The great city of Xi’an (north), with 13 million inhabitants and where the famous ‘Terracotta Warriors’ are located, was placed under “temporary control measures” following detecting 29 infections since Saturday.
Public entertainment venues, including pubs, internet cafes and karaoke bars, were closed from midnight on Wednesday, the local government said.
State media showed images of the inhabitants of Xi’an queuing for tests following midnight Tuesday as authorities insist the city is not on lockdown.
The outbreak of the city is attributed to the BA.5.2 subvariant of omicron, which is more transmissible and eludes immunity. (AFP)
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