Coronavirus: tougher action for Beijing in China’s tussle between virus and zero-Covid goal

Name: WHO chief says China’s zero-Covid policy not ‘sustainable’
Uploaded: 2022-05-24T06:22:32.000Z
Duration: 2 min
Description: WHO chief says China’s zero-Covid policy not ‘sustainable’

China’s capital reports 48 new local infections on Tuesday, after recording 99 infections the day before

The case number is small compared to Shanghai but Beijing’s response has been unprecedented and increasingly stringent

Reading Time:3 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

A Beijing delivery worker waits for a dinner order at a restaurant offering only take-out services because of Covid-19 restrictions in China’s capital. Beijing reported a record number of Covid cases on May 23, reviving concern the capital may face a lockdown. Source: Bloomberg

Zhuang Pinghui

Published: 2:22pm, 24 May 2022Updated: 7:30pm, 24 May 2022

Tougher and more thorough coronavirus measures have been pledged for China’s capital Beijing after a monthlong stalemate in its push to reach “dynamic zero”.

The city reported 48 new local infections on Tuesday, including seven people who are yet to show symptoms. A day earlier, the city recorded a new peak in infections for the month with 99 infections, including asymptomatic cases.

Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, who has overseen responses to serious outbreaks in China in the past two years, started to supervise Beijing’s epidemic control work on Monday and urged the Beijing government to realise zero Covid outside the controlled area with more thorough and tougher measures.

02:00

WHO chief says China’s zero-Covid policy not ‘sustainable’

“Contact tracing, transferring and isolation of patients and close contacts must be sped up without any delay. We must act fast to counter the fast [transmission of the virus] to achieve zero cases on the societal front and ensure the health and safety of the people and normal order in production and life,” state news agency Xinhua quoted Sun as saying.

On Monday, the entire Youyi neighbourhood in Haidian district – more than 1,800 residents – were sent to Zhangjiakou in Hebei province for at least seven days of isolation after 19 infections were found in the area. Sun deployed the same measure of sending residents to a neighbouring province when she supervised Shanghai during its ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

The Haidian district government said its residents would stay at hotels that had hosted international sports events. Some elderly people and students who were expected to sit college or high school entrance exams were allowed to stay home.

Sun said cases in Beijing were generally under control but sporadic outbreaks were still being recorded, indicating there would be no relaxation of prevention and control measures. Resources should be allocated to places with clusters of cases, she added.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x