COVID instances in Chinese cities, including Beijing, have reached record highs.
Zhengzhou, a major manufacturing hub located in central China, reported a total of 2,981 new illnesses, compared to 2,642 the previous day.
SHANGHAI/BEIJING:
On Monday, record numbers of COVID-19 infections were recorded in Beijing and several other major cities in China, putting further pressure on the government to contain outbreaks as swiftly as possible while simultaneously attempting to lessen the impact on people’s lives and on economic activities.
The National Health Commission reported 16,072 new locally transmitted cases across the country, which is an increase from Sunday’s figure of 14,761 and the highest number in China since April 25, during the height of Shanghai’s most severe outbreak. This figure represents an increase from the previous day’s figure of 14,761.
It was the worst day thus far in Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Zhengzhou, but the total number of cases was much lower in Beijing than it was in the other cities (a few hundred in Beijing, thousands in Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Zhengzhou).
The number of cases is quite low in comparison to infection rates seen in other countries; but, China’s priority on eradicating outbreaks as soon as they appear in accordance with its zero-COVID policy has increased the impact on communities as well as on the economy.
The National Health Commission revised its COVID guidelines on Friday, ushering in the most dramatic loosening of restrictions to date. Describing the revisions as an “optimization” of its measures to lessen the impact on people’s lives, the commission stated that the adjustments took effect immediately.
Although individuals, neighborhoods, and public spaces could still be subject to lockdowns to prevent the spread of outbreaks, the commission reduced some requirements, including lowering the period of time that close contacts were required to remain in quarantine.
People who are caught up in contact-tracing attempts when a case is found will find this to be a substantial source of inconvenience because secondary close contacts are no longer identified and placed in isolation.
The areas that are thought to be at risk of wider outbreaks have been reclassified as either “high” or “low,” and the “medium” risk category has been removed in an effort to reduce the total number of persons who are affected by the control measures.
WHEN TO START UP AGAIN
Despite the relaxation of restrictions, many industry analysts believe that the measures being taken are only incremental, and some forecast that China will not begin reopening its markets until at the earliest after the session of parliament scheduled for March.
Analysts from the investment firm Goldman Sachs in the United States wrote in a report that was released on Monday that “now COVID instances are rising in important cities such as Guangzhou and Chongqing, and zero-COVID policy remains, implying downside risks to the near-term economic forecast.”
Assuming that all necessary medical and communication preparations have been made, Goldman Sachs predicts that “the government is likely to start China’s final exit from over three years of zero-COVID policy” after the parliamentary sessions in March. This prediction is based on the assumption that all preparations have been made.
As domestic COVID cases increased, some investors cashed in winnings on the previous COVID-softening wagers, which led to a decline in the stock prices of tourism and transportation companies. Shares of consumer staples continued to underperform on Monday.
The number of cases reported in Beijing increased to 407 on Monday, up from 235 the day before.
The number of new cases that were transmitted locally in Guangzhou, which is located in the south of the country, increased to 4,065 from 3,653 the day before.
Zhengzhou, a major manufacturing hub located in central China, reported 2,981 new illnesses, which is an increase from the 2,642 reported the day before.
Chongqing, a city in the southwest with a population of more than 32 million people, also had an increase in reported cases, which rose to 2,297 from 1,820 the day before.
