The western world is spreading gross simplifications regarding the infectiousness and danger of omikron.

The message that omicrons are no more dangerous than the flu is wrong and a rumor that is destined to create chaos in Chinese society.

It claims the government-controlled daily Peoples Daily today and states that Xi Jinping's strategy to eradicate corona infection is the only right one.

In other Chinese state-run media, the authorities go out and urge people to be careful about spreading rumors on social media.

Recently, testimonies and videos from people in quarantine in Shanghai have abounded on the internet with stories of food shortages and other necessities.

Biggest shutdown in China

Right now, the giant city of Shanghai with 25.6 million inhabitants is shut down and China is struggling with the largest outbreak since the corona infection started in Wuhan almost two and a half years ago.

The strategy has been the same in China all along.

Test, track and isolate infected.

In recent years, several cities in China have found themselves in similar shutdowns as the mega-city of Shanghai, but never before have so many people been affected by the consequences.

Another strategy in the West

In the western world, the general trend is to learn to live with coronary heart disease because it is believed that the consequences of becoming infected are no longer as serious.

In many cases, it passes only as a simple cold.

In China, there has been political prestige in zero tolerance, which until just a couple of months ago seemed to work.

But the strategy risks costing Chinese society more than they can afford.

Omikron is simply too hard to stop.

Shanghai is the number one business city in China.

Many international companies are headquartered there, but declining commodity flows and non-existent mobility of residents have led to a decline in foreign investment in the past month, according to recent data from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Actions are announced

The situation is worse than expected, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang is said to have said at a domestic economic forum before the weekend, and he promised more support to small and medium-sized Chinese companies.

How bad it will be will show within a week or so, when the first quarter's growth figures are announced.

It is likely that the tax for companies will be reduced and, as usual when the Chinese economy is slow, invest in major infrastructure projects to create jobs and growth.

This fall, China's leader Xi Jinping is expected to be re-elected for a third term as leader of the Communist Party, and until then, Xi's policies and strategy must be described as the only right one.

Until then, censors will scrub the internet from criticism with high-pressure washing.

That China would have chosen the wrong path to deal with the covid pandemic is not a picture that should sit with the citizens.

At the earliest after the party congress, it is reasonable to imagine a communiqué stating that the Chinese Communist Party under the leadership of Xi Jinping has defeated covid and is now ready to move on.

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Shanghai residents are not allowed to go shopping and now there is a shortage of fresh produce - see Chang who got five cupcakes to eat in ten days.

Photo: SVT