Isn't China overdoing it with its zero Covid policy?
The large Chinese metropolis of Canton (South) canceled hundreds of flights on Thursday.
It has also launched the screening of around six million people, or a third of its inhabitants.
The reason: an “abnormal” result of a Covid test carried out at the airport on a single individual.
Almost spared by the coronavirus for two years, China has been facing an increase in cases since March, unprecedented since 2020 in its magnitude and which is affecting many provinces to varying degrees.
In line with its zero Covid strategy, China is responding to this outbreak with lockdowns, travel restrictions and the isolation of people who test positive in quarantine centres.
But the Omicron variant, which is particularly contagious, puts this health policy to the test.
What about other Chinese cities?
The large city of Hangzhou, near Shanghai, on Wednesday evening called on nine of its 12 million residents to get tested every 48 hours if they want to continue to have access to public spaces and public transport.
An initiative that follows the discovery of dozens of positive cases.
In confined Shanghai, many of the 25 million inhabitants complain of difficulties in accessing food and fear being placed in collective quarantine centers, with haphazard hygiene and comfort.
But the confinement seems to be slowly bearing fruit: the Ministry of Health has identified 10,622 new positive cases there – the lowest total since the beginning of April.
In Beijing, 50 new positive cases were announced on Thursday.
This is a stabilization compared to the previous days.
The capital this week launched a screening campaign for almost all of its 22 million inhabitants.
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Covid-19
Coronavirus
epidemic
Screening
Airplane
China
Asia
Variant Omicron