Jilin province’s Covid battle shows China’s policies can work, Communist Party mouthpiece says
- Officials in the northeastern province say they have reached ‘social zero Covid’, with hundreds of new cases – but only among people already in quarantine
- People’s Daily says this shows the country is on the right course and must redouble its efforts to stop the disease spreading
“All cities in Jilin province have achieved ‘social zero Covid’ by now”, the commentary in People’s Daily said, referring to a situation when all new cases are found among people already in quarantine.
“The facts have proved that we not only have the experience for ‘dynamic zero-Covid’, but also the capacity to achieve it.”
The piece argued that China was correct to stick to its course and the battle could only be won quickly by acting swiftly and with greater determination.
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The piece did not mention the Shanghai outbreak, where another 24,820 new cases were reported on Sunday, or the vast difference in the size and nature of the economies in Jilin and Shanghai.
After being locked down for more than 40 days, China’s northeastern Jilin province had contained the community spread of Covid-19 and achieved “societal zero [Covid],” the authorities said on Thursday.
This is a key metric for Chinese officials as they seek to reopen their cities.
A total of 692 new cases were reported in Jilin province, including 525 asymptomatic cases.
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The authorities said the Covid-19 situation had stabilised and they would “minimise the effects of Covid-19 on society and the economy and achieve the maximum control with minimum cost”.
Local governments in Jilin have started easing restrictions in various cities across the province, allowing factories to restart.
Local media reports said three-quarters of its 500 biggest companies had resumed operations by Thursday and nearly 80,000 workers were working within closed loops – which mean they have to remain on site at all times – in major manufacturing plants.
Meanwhile, the social and economic costs of China’s zero-Covid policy is becoming more obvious.
Across China, some 373 million people, around a quarter of the population, are under some form of movement restrictions, according to a report by economists from Nomura Holdings, a financial service provider, earlier this week.
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However, the Chinese government has repeatedly said it is committed to its zero-Covid policies.
As cases are still ramping up in Shanghai, infections in its neighbour Suzhou are also rising, while Kunshan, another city in that area, locked down last week. That led to production being halted at the factories of at least 30 Taiwanese tech companies there, including iPhone assembler Pegatron.
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Taiyuan, the capital of the central province of Shanxi, started increasing controls last week and has now locked down six downtown districts where most of its 5.3 million people live.
The hashtag “Taiyuan is hitting the pause button” went viral on Thursday night after state media used that euphemism to describe what was happening, echoing the phrase “slow life in Shenzhen” used during that city’s lockdown last month.
The 2.5 million residents of Xining, the capital of Qinghai province in the northwest of the country, have also been locked down since Thursday after 50 cases were reported over a two-week period.
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Two places in the southeastern province of Anhui are also going into lockdown.
Wuhu, a city of 3.7 million people, announced its main districts would go into lockdown starting Sunday, after one positive case reported in the city. All residents are banned from leaving their homes.
Huoqiu county in Anhui closed all its entertainment and recreational venues on Saturday after reporting three asymptomatic cases. Marriage registration offices were closed as the government advised people to pause all events and gatherings, and “stop weddings, simplify funerals”.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
