Chinese state media says country must stick to zero-Covid policies as Shanghai cases continue to rise
- Official outlets have published commentaries insisting that ‘dynamic zero-Covid’ is the correct approach and the best way to protect people
- State news agency Xinhua says the country must not ‘lie flat’ and warns that relaxing controls risks causing an outbreak that could overwhelm the medical system
A number of commentaries insisting the “dynamic zero-Covid” policy was the right approach appeared after President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that the country cannot relax control measures and must stick to the “people first and life first” principle.
Beijing’s current policy is to contain local outbreaks with strict preventive measures, despite much of the rest of the world embracing a live-with-the-virus mentality.
It said the country does not give up on patients “no matter how serious their illness is and how old they are”.
“With more than 1.4 billion people and a huge ageing population, if we do not stick to ‘scientific precision and dynamic zero’, the infection risk will grow and a large rebound will occur eventually,” it said. “China’s medical system will risk a breakdown.”