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Covid: More deaths in Shanghai, Beijing gets ready for mass tests, maybe curbs
Beijing has ordered mass tests in certain areas of the city and targeted curbs on gatherings after dozens of Covid-19 cases - including nine in a middle school - were reported since the end of last week.
BEIJING: Shanghai reported 39 Covid-19 deaths on Sunday for the day before, its highest daily death toll since a weeks-long lockdown started in March even as capital Beijing warned of a “grim” situation as infections rise in the city.
Beijing has ordered mass tests in certain areas of the city and targeted curbs on gatherings after dozens of Covid-19 cases - including nine in a middle school - were reported since the end of last week.
The outbreak in Beijing, a city of around 22 million residents, may have been spreading silently for a week, city health authorities said on Saturday.
China logged more than 22,000 Covid-19 cases for April 23, the majority in Shanghai, the national health commission (NHC) said Sunday.
With 39 more deaths in Shanghai, the toll is now 87, with the previous highest daily toll being 12 for Friday.
China has been struggling to stamp out its worst Covid-19 outbreak since 2020 - Shanghai being the epicentre - with policies of harsh lockdowns, centralised quarantine and mass tests.
The Chinese government’s strict zero-Covid policy is taking a heavy toll on businesses and public morale with affected citizens’ frustrations boiling over online in short videos and widely-shared messages of hardships.
Shanghai, a cosmopolitan financial hub with around 25 million residents, has been almost entirely locked down since the start of the month with many residents confined to their homes for even longer because of earlier targeted curbs.
On Sunday, more public outcry was logged online after health authorities sealed entrances to residential communities with fences.
Fences were erected around compounds designated “sealed areas” or buildings where at least one person has tested Covid-19 positive.
“This is so disrespectful of the rights of the people inside, using metal barriers to enclose them like domestic animals,” one resident, quoted by Reuters, complained on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.
“Isn’t this a fire hazard?’ asked another Weibo user.
In Beijing, the prospects of more curbs cannot be ruled out following a spike in new Covid-19 cases in the past couple of days.
City officials have said they were tracking cases across multiple districts in Beijing involving students and tour groups.
The capital reported 22 new local cases for Saturday, the NHC said on Sunday; 15 cases were reported for April 22.
“The city has recently seen several outbreaks involving multiple transmission chains, and the risk of continued and undetected transmission is high. The situation is urgent and grim,” municipal official Tian Wei said on Saturday.
“The whole city must act immediately,” Tian said.
The middle school where multiple cases were detected was closed on Friday and students and teachers have been directed to take several Covid-19 tests in the days ahead.
Many schools in Beijing have begun to suspend extracurricular activities with students and staff ordered to be tested this week.
The Beijing government has issued a notice asking residents not to leave the city during the upcoming Labour Day holidays.
