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Lockdown to be back? China may see 65 million Covid cases a week by late June

Covid In China: Chinese officials appear to not like the idea of strict curbs, New York Times reported.

Published on: May 29, 2023, 11:57:34 IST
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China “should not go too far in taking pandemic prevent measures in response,” Dr. Zhang Wenhong, director of centre for infectious diseases at Huashan Hospital in Shanghai said as projections showed a Covid outbreak in China by late June. Rhe resurgence in cases, he noted, “should not have a huge impact overall on economic activity and life" owing to which China should not choose harsh restrictions and lockdowns that impacted the country's economy and resulted in widespread protests.

Covid In China: Security guards wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the Covid-19 pandemic sit at an entrance of a building in Beijing. (AFP)
Covid In China: Security guards wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the Covid-19 pandemic sit at an entrance of a building in Beijing. (AFP)

Up to three-quarters of Chinese people infected in the most recent rise were not infected in the initial wave, he said. Chinese officials appear to not like the idea of strict curbs, New York Times reported as Beijing is focussing more and more on boosting economic growth and job creation.

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Dali Yang, political science professor at University of Chicago said, “After most people had caught the last wave, the intensity was gone."

China now considers Covid to be a "Class B" illness, which is not the most urgent classification, and officials “have also been trying to reassure the public, saying that the symptoms are relatively mild.”

China implemented the stringent "zero Covid" policy to curb the spread of the virus. The policy involved strict lockdowns, mass testing, contact tracing, and quarantine measures to prevent local transmission but debilitated the economy of the country which has recently experienced a significant rebound after easing lockdown measures by Beijing following massive protests.

 
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Mallika Soni

When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?"

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