Beijing authorities today announced a record number of new cases of covid-19, a development that has prompted them to call for the closure of schools, restaurants, parks and other venues, at a time when many workers are being urged to switch to telecommuting.
China's capital, with 22 million people, recorded 621 new domestic cases on Sunday and 1,438 today, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic.
Across the country the number of cases - domestic and imported - exceeded 28,000, with Guangdong province and Chongqing city being the most affected.
Three elderly Beijing residents with underlying illnesses died over the weekend from covid, the first deaths recorded since May.
Authorities in the Chinese capital have warned that they are facing their biggest test since the beginning of the pandemic. But so far they appear keen to avoid a strict lockdown like the one imposed in Shanghai in the spring, although they have stepped up sanitary measures in recent days.
Those arriving in Beijing from other parts of China have to undergo three days of testing and only if they have negative results can they leave their place of residence.
Almost 600 zones in the capital, mostly residential buildings, are considered «high risk», meaning that their inhabitants must remain in their homes or be transferred to quarantine centres.
Schools have turned to tele-education, restaurants, museums, parks, sports and tourist venues have closed and workers are forced to work from home.
On the streets, queues outside covid testing sites are growing, as entry to most public places now requires a negative test of less than 24 hours to allow entry.
The suburb of Tianjin, near Beijing, asked all residents to undergo a diagnostic test, following the example of the Shiziazhuang authorities on Sunday.
Moreover, in the city of Uhan, where the new coronavirus was first detected in late 2019, the authorities asked residents to move only between work and home.
The Asian giant is the last major global economy to follow a strict policy of dealing with covid, which aims to avoid infections and thus deaths.
On 11 November, the Chinese authorities announced a relaxation of the so-called zero covid policy, mainly restricting quarantines, especially for travellers arriving in the country from abroad.
However, this strategy, which was initially effective in limiting the spread of the virus, seems to be failing in the face of the emergence of new coronavirus strains, and is dealing a major blow to China's economy, isolating it from the rest of the world and causing resentment among the Chinese.
Many cities stopped large-scale testing last week, but some have reinstated the measure, an indication that they are finding it harder to cope with the more contagious Omicron variant strain.
Beijing stresses that a zero-tolerance policy towards covid saves lives and is necessary to prevent the country's health system from collapsing.
Experts also warn that full openness requires a massive campaign of booster vaccination of citizens and a change in the government's message, in a country where citizens are still very afraid of covid. Authorities have indicated that they intend to increase the capacity of hospitals and clinics, but also to launch a pro-vaccination campaign.
