In response to a recent rise in coronavirus cases, the Chinese government on Sunday, September 4, 2022, expanded the Covid-19 lockdown to other locations in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan. These limitations include things like laws requiring employees to work from home and the closure of entertainment venues in specific areas. China has also mandated more citywide mass testing in an effort to stop the spread.
The largest Chinese city to be placed under lockdown since Shanghai is Chengdu, which earlier this week announced a lockdown of its 21.2 million inhabitants. Schools in Shanghai resumed operations this week after being closed for months.
This week, Covid-19 limitations have also been tightened in other significant cities like Dalian in the northeast and Shenzhen in the south.
Chengdu Fears a Repeat of Shanghai in the Race to Xi’s Covid Zero (1)
While some signs suggest Shanghai is recovering more slowly than Hong Kong and Singapore, where regulations have been relaxed, demand for everything from dining out to watching movies and travelling is still well below pre-lockdown levels. Retail sales in the city had a 4.3% decline in June compared to the same month last year and a tiny 0.3% increase in July, following an average 35% decline in the three months prior starting in March, when the outbreak first appeared.
For Saturday, China recorded 1,673 local Covid cases around the country, 1,359 of which are asymptomatic. According to the National Health Commission, 556 new infections were discovered in Tibet, which had the most cases of any province. Chengdu’s home province of Sichuan reported 186.
Shenzhen, a powerhouse of southern technology, reported 89 new cases. Local health authorities stated during a briefing on Saturday that daily new infections are anticipated to persist at elevated levels for the next few days. Only one case was found in each of Beijing and Shanghai.
After discovering 22 new cases on Saturday, Tianjin, a northern port city close to Beijing, shut down dine-in service in one neighbourhood. With effect from Sunday, the city began testing all of its 13.7 million citizens.
