Coronavirus: China urged to be ‘more precise and scientific’ with controls as economic toll mounts
- Local officials are prioritising containment of the latest Omicron outbreak over economic performance, government advisers say
- Beijing is refusing to give up its zero-Covid policy, despite the growing cost and public fatigue with harsh restrictions
China has been urged to avoid excessive pandemic controls and provide a clear exit strategy from its hardline zero-Covid policy to mitigate damage to the economy.
A growing number of communities across China are being placed under lockdown immediately after a new infection is detected, as local officials prioritise containment of the Omicron outbreak sweeping the country over economic performance.
In Beijing’s Daxing district, a community in Yizhuang was locked down on Wednesday after an “abnormal” test result.
“Pandemic controls require people to stay put, but economic development requires mobility. The flow of production factors are the presumptions for growth,” said Yang Weimin, deputy director of the economic affairs committee under the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body.
Pandemic controls should be imposed in “a more precise and scientific pattern”, he said.
The [central] government should provide a clearer zero policy exit mechanism
“And only when the pandemic is under control can we concentrate on promoting development,” Yang said in a column published by news portal Sina.com on Tuesday.