This Monday, several residential complexes in Shanghai have been confined again. The capital of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot, will ban the entry of vehicles and travelers from outside from tomorrow. Dozens of tourists were trapped in the southeastern Yunnan city of Jinghong while on a trip. Last week, Xinjiang authorities suspended all passenger trains leaving the province. And the list goes on and on.
While much of the world has long since opted to live with the coronavirus and return to pre-pandemic normality, China remains anchored in its initial zero-tolerance strategy against covid-19. The latest increase in local cases, registered days before the important 20th congress of the Communist Party of China (PCCh) begins, has led to a new wave of control measures, for which Beijing asked the population for "patience" on Monday and he warned against any “war weariness”.
The five-yearly conclave, which will start next Sunday, is marked in red on the Chinese political calendar. During the meeting, it is assumed that the CCP General Secretary and President of the country, Xi Jinping, will obtain a third term unprecedented in modern history. There will also be a thorough renovation of the leadership of Chinese power.
The zero covid policy bears Xi's personal stamp, so the authorities do not want any outbreak to cloud the meeting. To do this, they even asked the population to limit their movements outside their cities or provinces during the past "golden week", the festive period that follows the celebration of National Day (October 1).
There were fewer trips than other years (422 million trips, 18% less than the previous year), which did not prevent a rebound in the number of cases. According to the latest count, more than 2,100 positives were detected on Sunday, the highest number since the August outbreak on the tourist island of Hainan, which ended up isolated.
According to the digital newspaper Caixin, in the entire country there are currently some 130 cities in 31 affected regions. Many eyes are on Shanghai, the financial and commercial capital of the country that already underwent a strict confinement in the spring.
Since Friday, in some parts of the city the green fences that were then used to close blocks or urbanizations for weeks have once again made an appearance. Some buildings have also been isolated for two days, after which their residents are released on the condition that they take precautions and undergo three PCR tests.
The situation in the western region of Xinjiang is also worrying. Last week, local authorities recognized failures in the management of it and ordered that passenger trains and buses not leave their borders. Or in Inner Mongolia, where the more than 2,000 cases recorded have led to the prohibition of entry to the provincial capital of vehicles and people from outside. Looking ahead to Congress, it is taken for granted that Beijing will take precautionary measures to the maximum in its streets.
The coronavirus "still poses a relatively great threat to the elderly and people with other illnesses," the People's Daily published on Monday. "This is why we must continue to monitor the spread of the epidemic, increase our confidence and patience in prevention and control policies" and overcome any "numbness" or "war-weariness," he added.
Beijing's policy has managed to keep the number of infected and deceased by the virus at bay, barely 5,200 according to official sources. However, the continuous control measures have complicated the lives of its inhabitants, with PCR tests every few days, the need to scan QR codes to enter businesses or public buildings, or confinement for weeks for being close to a positive.
The restrictions are also having a devastating effect on its economy. Youth unemployment has grown to nearly 20%. The lack of confidence affects the real estate sector, tourism or domestic consumption. Many foreign companies are considering whether they should leave the country or how long they will be able to put up with this situation. According to the World Bank, China's GDP will grow 2.8% this year, far from the initial 5% target and behind many regional economies.
Many hope that, after the congress, the authorities will relax the current policy and bet on reactivating the economy. However, the country continues to suffer from a low vaccination rate among the elderly and there are doubts about the effectiveness of its vaccines, which could delay that long-awaited opening.
