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Provincial Chinese capital bans unvaccinated from entering public areas
Inner Mongolia’s push to boost vaccination rates comes as the ruling Communist Party of China stresses on achieving herd immunity - which puts an end to community transmission - by December this year.
Authorities of a provincial capital in northern China have said citizens not vaccinated against Covid-19 will not be allowed to enter public places including hospitals, malls, subways, hotels, and markets.
Grassroot workers in the city have been ordered to daily submit the names and details of people who have not taken the jab to local committees and sub-district offices.
The government of Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, said those who have not been vaccinated but found to be responsible for spreading Covid-19 will be prosecuted, Chinese media reported on Sunday.
This is the first time authorities of a major city in China have made vaccinations compulsory except for medical reasons.
Residents have to show proof of vaccination and a green health code to enter public areas.
In July, the national health commission (NHC) had said “informed, consented and voluntary” were the basic principles for China’s inoculation programme, adding, however, that people without medical reasons and within the acceptable age should take the shots.
The NHC issued the guidelines after authorities in several cities had issued rules saying unvaccinated people will be prohibited from entering public venues such as hospitals and supermarkets.
The government of Tanghe county, in central China’s Henan province, for example, had requested civil servants, including retired staff, to get vaccinated or warned that they won’t be allowed to continue to work or receive salary.
The Hohhot government’s decision, announced on Saturday, seems a departure from the NHA guidelines.
“In principle, it is not advisable to enter the above-mentioned places (without being vaccinated),” the Hohhot government notice said after listing the places banned for those who have not taken the jabs.
The banned public places include markets, tourist attractions (scenic spots), amusement parks, indoor enclosed entertainment venues, cinemas, cultural centres and libraries.
“Those who have not been vaccinated shall be persuaded by their units to be vaccinated as soon as possible before the end of August,” the notice quoted by Chinese media said.
Students have been advised not to go to school without being fully vaccinated, the notice indicated.
Inner Mongolia’s push to boost vaccination rates comes as the ruling Communist Party of China stresses on achieving herd immunity - which puts an end to community transmission - by December this year.
The decision also comes in the backdrop of the recent outbreak in several parts of China of the Covid-19 Delta variant; more than 1,300 cases were reported during the cluster outbreaks, the highest for China since last year.
Not only the fear of censure, Chinese cities have also offered incentives to citizens including electronic bikes, eggs, ice cream and milk to get jabbed.
Over 1.9 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in China as of Wednesday, NHC data showed.
China could reach 80% Covid-19 vaccines coverage by the end of this year, achieving herd immunity, the country’s top epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan said in a virtual speech at a health conference on Friday.
A total of 777.046 million people in China, a country of 1.4 billion, have been fully vaccinated, NHC spokesperson Mi Feng said earlier this month.
China has also been vaccinating children and teenagers aged between 12 and 17 with over 60 million doses administered in the age group.
