After a month of severe lockdown, the curve of those infected in Shanghai has finally begun to decline. The Chinese government’s attention has thus shifted to the north. Beijing is now really nervous, where the government has announced mass testing after several positive cases. A similar move in the case of Shanghai was a harbinger of the complete closure of the city.
Economists are also sounding the alarm. The effects of China’s relentless zero-tolerance policy will be felt by supply chains around the world.
Beijing launched a major three-day covid test on Monday, apologizing to about two million people living in less populated suburbs. Another roughly 20 million tests will not escape, and certainly not those who live or work in the main business district of Chaoyang.
It was the Chaoyang area, which includes a number of embassies and foreign companies, that became the epicenter of its 42 infected. Tests across the city have revealed 114 cases since Friday. On Wednesday, the Chongzhou government district advised parents not to send their children to school until further notice.
Although the situation in Beijing is mild compared to other Chinese locations, the capital is on high alert due to the upcoming Communist Party National Congress.
Given the strength of the response to dozens of those infected, there is no doubt that China does not intend to ease its zero tolerance strategy. After several cases, millions of cities are closing, including those that are absolutely crucial for the Chinese and world economies.
Beijing’s stores have been experiencing a similar onslaught since Monday, as in Shanghai, Wuchan and Hong Kong, although authorities insist there is no reason to panic.
Joseph Li, 25, and his roommates from the Chaoyang neighborhood, learned from videos of hungry Shanghai residents, set out to expedite the purchase of frozen and fresh food. They made supplies for at least four days. So far, however, they are relatively optimistic.
“If the lockdown really comes, I think the government, the community and our society will support us with deliveries,” Li told SCMP. “I will only go into my own stock if we run out of packages or the necessary things do not arrive. The stocks are only in case of emergency, “he adds.
People from Shanghai could tell about relying on government help. List The news previously merged with the Czech Jana, who has lived in the city for a long time. She described that hungry people often called for help from their balconies, after which the drones warned them not to “sing”.
“For example, I stay up until midnight every day, because the delivery services have a limited number of orders to process every day, and the number is reset at midnight. However, on the fifth day in a row, it shows me ‘sold out’ even two minutes after midnight. Other people get up at 5 in the morning to try to place an order. But the system is overloaded, only a minimum of orders are processed, “she described the failed attempts.
The Chinese government is trying to prevent the spread of the infection from neighboring states in all possible ways. Among other things, it relies on the abilities of animals – it has placed a herd of about 500 geese on the border with Vietnam, which are ready to detect and possibly pinch anyone who tries to cross the border illegally. The Goose Army has been stationed since last October and is recognized as a successful fighter against virus carriers from abroad. It does not need any special training. Five-kilo birds are fiercely defending their territory, writes National Geographic.
The feathered crew is complemented by about 400 guard dogs of mixed breeds, who accompany the linemen. Geese have their own habitats. Geese are the oldest domesticated animals after dogs, according to recent studies.
Back in the first wave
Two years after the outbreak of the pandemic, there are again doubts about China’s way of counting coronavirus-related deaths.
Shanghai is the largest city in China and currently the largest epicenter of covid-19. As of March 1, CFR records 0.036 percent – 36 deaths per 100,000 infected people. Such a number of victims is low even compared to countries that are praised worldwide for their exemplary fight against the pandemic.
“If Shanghai had a CFR similar to New Zealand’s 0.07 percent, then it would have had more than 300 deaths,” Michael Baker, a professor of public health at the University of Otago in New Zealand, told AFP.
Although about 200,000 people experienced symptoms with symptoms and more than 470,000 without symptoms, less than 5,000 people succumbed to the virus.
One explanation for the Chinese data may be a stricter classification of “covid-related deaths,” Paul Tambyah, president of the Asia-Pacific Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infections, told AFP.
China’s low Covid-19 death toll prompts questions.
China has recorded fewer than 5,000 deaths from Covid since the start of the pandemic.
Now a resurgent outbreak has revived questions about how the country counts deaths from the virushttps://t.co/0pmGEGFm42 pic.twitter.com/Qnel1HKBEo
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 26, 2022
China’s health commission has said it counts virus-infected people who die before they recover from Covid-19. This leaves open the possibility that patients who have previously suffered from health problems are not taken into account in the total number of deaths.
According to the Chinese government, low numbers are proof that strict access to coronavirus is paying off. According to experts, these data do not tell the whole story. The Chinese public has recently been outraged by the leaked recording of the debate among health officials. “This pandemic has become a political problem that consumes so much manpower, resources and money just to deal with a flu-like illness. Which other country do you think is now seeking similar epidemic prevention? ”The official asked in the recording.
The answer to his question is “none”. Even the most autocratic states, which have surveillance networks and mechanisms to control society, do not implement the zero-lead strategy as applied by China.
The cries of economists
The prospect of another key city’s lockdown is causing anxiety, especially in economic circles, especially among investors and companies whose supply chains are crossing China. Since mid-March, more than 70 cities, representing 40% of the national economic power, have implemented anti-drug measures.
Elisabeth Waelbroeck-Rocha, chief international economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said that in addition to disrupting global supply chains and supporting inflation, covid restrictions have undermined China’s economic growth.
China aims to increase gross domestic product by 5.5 percent in 2022, which the economist says is unattainable in these circumstances. The Chinese authorities are trying to keep at least the factories, and especially the ports, by working in “closed bubbles”. So they practically live in the workplace and interact with a minimum of people.
Even so, delivery times to many global companies that depend on Chinese factories are being extended. Analysts estimate that the Shanghai lockdown is likely to have a domino effect. According to them, the automotive and consumer electronics industry will also intervene in June and July.
“The congestion in Chinese ports suggests that global shipping delays are likely to persist throughout 2022, even if they remain below the 2021 high,” added Francoise Huang, chief economist at Allianz Trade.
Shanghai’s lockdown itself means “an inevitable adverse side effect on the whole economy and supply chain disruption at home and abroad,” said Tung Jinjue, chief economist at BBVA Research.
The redirection of products from Shanghai to the ports of Suzhou and Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province will then delay the import of materials such as plastic hooks from hangers from Switzerland. Stricter administration is also responsible for delays.
