Covid-19: China confines nearly four million inhabitants around Beijing

Europe 1 with AFP 10:33 a.m., August 30, 2022

Nearly four million residents of the province located around Beijing are confined on Tuesday, the authorities wanting to avoid any runaway of the Covid-19 epidemic before a big meeting of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the fall.

Residents of the cities of Chengde and Xinle, in Hebei, must stay in their homes until the end of the week in order to cope with an epidemic outbreak.

In addition, more than 13 million inhabitants of the large municipality of Tianjin (north), bordering Beijing, must carry out a PCR test on Tuesday after the occurrence of more than 80 positive cases in two days.

A strict health policy

Unlike almost all other countries, China continues to apply a strict health policy.

The authorities decree localized confinements, impose in certain places PCR tests every 72 or even 48 hours and pose the risk of quarantine on any traveler going to another province.

This policy has strong repercussions on the economy.

It should not be relaxed before the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which will be organized in the coming months.

Chinese President Xi Jinping should obtain there, barring an unlikely twist, an unprecedented third term as secretary general of the political organization.

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The national health policy, firmly defended by Xi Jinping, has become very political and any frontal opposition to anti-Covid measures can be considered as a questioning of the regime.

The Omicron variant seems in recent days to spread again in large cities.

In Chengdu (southwest), the largest city in the western half of the country, the authorities have confined residential areas, require a PCR test within 24 hours to leave the municipal territory and called to avoid "non-essential" travel. ".

35 new positive cases in Shenzhen

In Shenzhen (south), a large metropolis of 18 million inhabitants specializing in new technologies, two districts are partially confined and the world's largest electronics market, that of Huaqiangbei, is closed.

"The closure notice came suddenly. We only had a few hours to put our goods in warehouses and lock them up," Chen, a vendor at the market, told AFP.

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A total of 35 new positive cases were reported Tuesday in Shenzhen.

In the Futian district, where the municipal government headquarters is located, cinemas, karaoke establishments and parks are closed until Friday.