China has put millions of its citizens under renewed lockdown following fresh outbreaks of Covid-19 as the government sticks to tough policies to contain the virus amid further evidence it is stifling the economy.
The measures affected cities from the southern cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou to the northern port city of Dalian, and from the western metropolis of Chengdu to Shijiazhuang in central Hebei Province.
The lockdown in Dalian was expected to affect around half of its six million residents and last five days, although authorities have in the past extended restrictions depending on the number of new cases.
Shenzhen’s Longhua district, which has a population of 2.5 million, closed entertainment venues and wholesale markets on Tuesday and canceled major events.
Guangzhou, a city of nearly 19 million near Hong Kong, reported just five locally transmitted infections for Tuesday, but authorities ordered certain areas in one district to close indoor entertainment venues and restaurants through Saturday.
The city also ordered all kindergartens, elementary, middle and high schools in the district to postpone the resumption of the new school year and halt offline sessions that had already begun, according to state media reports Wednesday. Bus and subway connections in the district have also been reduced.
The closures came as data released on Wednesday showed further signs that China’s economy is being slowed by the strict zero-Covid policy.
The closely watched Purchasing Managers’ Index, a key gauge of manufacturing activity in the world’s second-largest economy, came in at 49.4 in August, up from July’s 49.0 but still below the 50-point mark, which predicted growth from Contraction separates, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Sporadic Covid-19 lockdowns across China have dampened consumer enthusiasm and business confidence, while searing temperatures across much of the country led to electricity rationing for factories this summer.
“Markets could be hit again in the next few weeks, likely triggering another round of cuts by economists on the street,” Nomura warned in a note, highlighting the importance of cities like Shenzhen, which are also key ports.
Beijing has been relatively unaffected, although travel to and from the capital has been discouraged and residents are being tested almost daily.
Other cities such as Chengdu in the southwest, Shenyang in the northeast and Jishui in the southeast have been partially locked down.
China’s “zero Covid” policy contrasts with other countries’ gradual easing of restrictions linked to vaccination, medication and voluntary isolation.
China has largely closed its borders to foreign visitors, requiring everyone to undergo more than a week-long quarantine in hotels, where sanitary conditions are often poor. Masking and regular testing are standard, and close contacts may be forcibly transported to field hospitals.
The World Health Organization has described China’s policies as unsustainable. On Monday, a Chinese think tank displayed a rare public dissent, saying the curbs – which have closed cities and disrupted trade, travel and industry – needed to be changed to prevent an “economic gridlock”. The Anbound Research Center said President Xi Jinping’s administration, like the US, Europe and Japan, must focus on restoring growth.
“Preventing the risk of economic shutdown should be the priority,” the think tank said in a report titled It’s Time for China to Adjust Its Virus Control and Prevention Policies.
Previous lockdowns have left tens of millions of people locked in their homes, sometimes for weeks. A strict lockdown this week in the largest city and commercial hub of Shanghai has sparked protests over shortages of food and medical supplies.
China reported 1,717 cases of local transmission on Tuesday, 52 of them in Liaoning province, where Dalian is located. Most of the cases were reported in Sichuan province, of which Chengdu is the capital, and most were asymptomatic.
With Associated Press, Reuters and Agence-France Presse.
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