Confusion and Fear Cloud China’s Path to Exit COVID-19 Zero Policy

In the context of the isolation of megacities, the growth of the number of infected and sporadic protests, the policy of “zero COVID-19” China stalled as the authorities relentlessly try to contain the virus while keeping the economy going.

Beijing on Tuesday recorded a new record for new cases COVID-19 in the midst of an outbreak that is filling the city with restrictions such as school and restaurant closures or the introduction of telecommuting.

Multiple outbreaks in China coronavirus and added 28,000 new infections on Tuesday, close to the all-time high since the start of the pandemic, health authorities said.

The main outbreaks were reported in Canton province and Chongqing city, where more than 16,000 and 6,300 new cases were reported.

In the capital, the number of cases has risen sharply in recent days, from 621 on Sunday to 1,438 on Tuesday, a record for the city.

The second world economy keeps its politics covid zero what good results it gave at the beginning of the pandemic, with sudden births, mass checks and long quarantines.

But recent outbreaks are testing the limits of this strategy, and authorities are hesitant to impose lockdowns like the one in Shanghai in April for two months, damaging the economy and the financial center’s international image.

Authorities said three elderly people in Beijing with previous illnesses died of covid over the weekend, marking the first death from the pandemic in China from May.

While the capital has avoided a complete lockdown, its authorities have placed many buildings on quarantine and are requiring a negative coronavirus test within the last 24 hours to enter most public places.

Over the weekend, they asked residents to stay at home and not travel between districts.

Tourist attractions, gyms and parks have been closed, and crowded events such as concerts have been cancelled.

Economic Impact Optimization

China announced on Nov. 11 easing some anti-COVID measures to “optimize” the economic and social impact of sanitary measures, such as reducing mandatory quarantines for travelers arriving from abroad.

Some cities canceled mass coronavirus tests last week, though some later resumed them, citing difficulties in controlling the transmission of the omicron variant.

Shijiachhuang City (North), which canceled mass testing, began a partial lockdown on Monday, while Guangdong City (South) closed some of its areas on the same day.

Public anger over the seemingly arbitrary restrictions and sudden disruptions has spilled over into multiple protests in recent months, including in southern China’s Guangzhou. Chinathis month when hundreds of residents took to the streets.

“Most of the officials China They know that such a policy no longer makes sense, but no one can stop applying it because it is Xi’s policy and it needs to be supported,” Steve Tsang, director of the China SOAS Institute in London, told AFP.

Alfred Wu, Associate Professor, Singapore School of Public Policy. Lee Kuan Yew detailed the growing conflict between the goals of the central government and those of local governments.

“In fact, the anger comes from residents as well as local government officials” whose resources and time are overwhelmingly spent on zero covid measures, Wu told AFP.

According to Huang, a health expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, a US think tank, a new year without the coronavirus will cause “the collapse of the Chinese economy and could bring social tensions to a breaking point, jeopardizing the stability of the country.” regime and may even provoke a crisis of legitimacy.”

But, on the contrary, opening the country too quickly is also risky, because. China It could “face a viral wave followed by mass mortality that will quickly destroy its fragile healthcare system,” he warns.