Zero-Covid fears deepen as cases rise again in China’s southern factory hub

Infections more than double over a day, sparking concerns about even tighter control measures in the offing
Guangzhou already has 45 high-risk and 79 medium-risk areas demarcated citywide, with residents under some form of lockdown

Coronavirus China

He Huifengin Guangdong

Published: 6:15pm, 29 Oct 2022

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Covid-19 infections have continued to rise in China’s southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, prompting lockdowns in more residential areas and daily citywide testing, as well as bans on restaurant dining across half the city.

Residents said the impact on business had already been huge and they were worried that even more stringent zero-Covid measures would be imposed if the daily caseload kept rising.

Infections in the Guangdong capital more than doubled on Friday, climbing to 139 from 65 a day earlier. The total had dropped slightly to 50 on Wednesday, from 73 on Tuesday.

Close to 15.6 million people had Covid-19 tests in the city on Friday. Some districts earlier sent notices warning residents that missed tests would “bring a lot of inconvenience” and could even have “legal consequences”.

Guangzhou starts citywide Covid-19 testing as cases grow in manufacturing hub

Authorities have issued several notices in past week stepping up pandemic control measures.

As of Saturday, there were 45 high-risk and 79 medium-risk areas across the city, with residents either in partial or full lockdowns.

A negative Covid-19 test from the previous 48 hours is also needed to enter marketplaces and shopping malls throughout the city.

Emily Liang, an employee of a wealth consultant company in Guangzhou, was unsure if she would be able to travel to Sichuan province for work next week.

“I had planned to attend an industry summit with my team in Chengdu on Monday, but now I am worried that I might not be able to attend if the epidemic situation in Guangzhou worsens in the next two days,” Liang said.

“It is highly likely that city authorities might ask people coming from Guangzhou to undergo quarantine if the number of high-risk areas keeps increasing.”

03:08

How ordinary people in China view the country’s ‘dynamic zero-Covid’ policy

Long Xiaojun, who rents out her converted three-bedroom flat, said two of her tenants had decided to return to their hometown, because of the “worsening business situation” under tightened Covid-19 restrictions.

Haizhu district, a textile and garments industry hub, remains the hotspot in the latest outbreak in Guangzhou, with a large number of migrant workers and small factories under lockdown, and business and production suspended.

“I only dare to sleep in my minivan every night and go to a different place every day [to avoid snap lockdowns],” said Huang Weijie, a mobile vendor selling clothes. “Those wholesale stores are facing a tougher situation.”

This comes amid a rebound in Covid-19 cases in Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan, following this month’s weeklong National Day break.

The country reported 324 confirmed and 1,153 asymptomatic infections on Friday.

03:01

‘Caught in a dilemma’: Beijingers frustrated by 3 years of Covid travel curbs in Chinese capital

The Shanghai Disney Resort on Saturday announced it would temporarily close some retail and park areas, as well as live entertainment shows, citing the need to comply with epidemic prevention and control measures.

In the central city of Zhengzhou, a negative PCR test taken within the previous 24 hours is required for entry to all premises, including residential communities.

The Henan provincial capital is home to world’s largest iPhone factory, run by Foxconn Technology Group.

The factory imposed tough coronavirus control measures on October 21, including closing the dine-in canteen, to keep production running normally amid a fresh outbreak that has put parts of the city under lockdown.