The recent resurgences pose a fresh challenge for President Xi Jinping, who last week reaffirmed his commitment to the zero-COVID strategy despite the mounting economic cost. Japanese bank Nomura has estimated that at least 114 million people were under full or partial lockdowns nationwide in China as of Monday, a sharp jump from last week's 66.7 million. "People now aren't really scared of COVID anymore, they're scared of being locked down in their homes."Ī health worker takes a sample from a woman to be tested for COVID-19 at a swab collection site in Beijing, July 6, 2022. "I think the situation won't improve in the short term," said another resident, who gave his name as Yao. She said she took part in the latest testing round over fears that her smartphone-stored health code, which is used to access public spaces, might otherwise flag her as a COVID risk. "I think this is unnecessary, and I don't really want to do it," Shanghai resident Alice Chan told AFP. Officials launched a new round of mass testing in more than half of the city's districts after a rebound in cases since the weekend.Īll karaoke bars were closed Wednesday after some infections were linked to six venues. "I'm so nervous, the epidemic has destroyed my youth," posted a Shanghai-based user on Weibo. In Shanghai, some social media users reported receiving government food rations, a throwback to the monthslong confinement forced on the city's residents earlier this year. The outbreaks and official response have dashed hopes that China would move away from the strict virus curbs seen earlier this year, when its hardline zero-COVID policy saw tens of millions forced to stay home for weeks. Tens of millions of people were under lockdown across China on Wednesday and businesses in a major tourist city were forced to close as fresh COVID-19 clusters sparked fears of wider restrictions.Ĭhinese health authorities have reported more than 300 infections in the historic northern city of Xian, home to the Terracotta Army, with new clusters found in Shanghai, Beijing and elsewhere.
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