The Chinese capital Beijing is struggling with an ‘explosive’ new outbreak of Covid, local authorities said. Entertainment stores have been closed, the reopening of schools has been postponed and many buildings have been placed in lockdown. The restrictions are also being increased again in Shanghai, which has just come out of lockdown.
Beijing, which announced an easing of measures two weeks ago, has been struggling with an outbreak linked to the nightlife since Thursday. Three infected people turned out to have visited the newly reopened Heaven Supermarket Bar, one of Beijing’s most popular nightlife and a nightmare for contact tracers. So far, 115 infections and 6,158 contacts have been identified in this outbreak.
Given China’s zero-covid policy, which chooses to contain any outbreak immediately, the outbreak is leading to strict measures in Beijing. In large parts of the city, all bars are closed, and the reopening of schools and a major amusement park has been postponed. The impact is greatest in neighborhoods and buildings with infections or contacts: they are temporarily placed in lockdown. The sudden detentions lead to great unrest among residents and disruption of daily life.
The measures were also stepped up in Shanghai this weekend, after three infections were linked to a beauty salon where 502 customers from all over Shanghai had been last week. In 15 of Shanghai’s 16 districts, all residents must be tested on Saturday, and in five districts – with millions of inhabitants – they are not allowed to go outside until the results are known. If the result is positive, their building or neighborhood will go into lockdown.
Wave of mass tests
Ten days after the Shanghai lockdown ended, more than 12,000 buildings have now been closed again due to the presence of infections or contacts. The new wave of mass tests and local lockdowns prompted many residents to hoard the memory of food shortages during the previous lockdown fresh in their minds on Friday. Some residents also fled their neighborhood after they heard that it would be closed.
The Chinese government is sticking to the zero-covid policy because an uncontrolled Covid outbreak could be fatal for the many unvaccinated elderly in China and for the very unequal health care system. But since the emergence of omikron, this policy requires such strict measures that the Chinese economy is seriously damaged. Many banks predict that the Chinese economy will contract in the second quarter of 2022.
After a recent drop in the number of cases, measures in Shanghai and Beijing were phased out remarkably quickly, presumably to stimulate the economy. The Chinese government made a strong case for the prevention of new outbreaks with regular PCR tests of the entire population. President Xi Jinping says he is aiming for a balance between an “unshakable” zero-covid policy and the economy, but the new flare-ups show this will be very difficult.
Great dissatisfaction and protests
The lockdown of Shanghai has led to widespread discontent and even protests in recent weeks. Economically, the largest port city in the world was paralyzed: employees could not go to the office, factories had to close and transport virtually came to a standstill. The consequences could be felt worldwide in the near future, if fewer containers arrive in Europe and the United States due to the disruption of port traffic in Shanghai.
According to FourKites, a data platform specializing in supply chains, the Port of Shanghai has only seen a modest recovery since the end of the lockdown. The volume shipped in Shanghai was 19 percent lower in the past two weeks than before the lockdown. The average residence time of goods in the port is now 6.6 days, half less than during the peak of the port congestion, but still twice as long as before the lockdown.