Beijing: about two weeks lockdown is wearing on the residents of Xi’an, the western Chinese city that has been linked to the longest outbreak of Covid-19 in the country since the virus was first detected there.
The shortage of food and medical care has worsened over the past 12 days as authorities lock down the city of 13 million people to try to contain a flare-up that has already caused more than 1,600 infections. Posts have started appearing on Chinese social media criticizing the government’s poor management of the lockdown and complaining about the extremely limited access to food.
Scenes like this had not been seen in China since the first days of the epidemic, when authorities closed down Wuhan and began covid zero This policy has been in place since then. more contagious delta The variant has made the stringent approach more difficult, at a time when much of the world has been infected to live with the virus as it continues to mutate into even more communicable strains. China has not yet reported cases of Omicron in the community.
Fanning out
The outbreak appears to have spread from the epicenter of Xi’an, which reported 95 new cases on Tuesday, with the number of infections rising elsewhere. Eastern Province zhejiang and the central province of Henan reported eight and five cases, respectively, while another 21 asymptomatic infections were detected nationwide and counted separately.
More than 100 people have been diagnosed daily for the past 10 days, a complete departure in China where the zero-tolerance COVID policy resulted in few locally transmitted infections for much of 2021. The deteriorating situation is putting the authorities under increased pressure as the Lunar New Year approaches. The country’s most important holiday and busiest travel season is on the way, and Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics starting in February.
According to social media posts, some residents of Xi’an have started swapping food and cigarettes amid the shortage. Residents have been asked to stay inside their homes during the lockdown, with a family member allowed to leave every other day in a sometimes fruitless attempt to find supplies. Others criticized the authorities for giving priority to residential complexes where government officials reside.
Xi’an’s deputy mayor, and another official from the hardest-hit district, were fired as the city vowed to “strengthen epidemic prevention”.
sign of trouble
The rising number of cases and the chaos in hospitals are deteriorating nerves, squeezing medical resources, denying care to patients suffering from other conditions.
According to a widely circulated article on social media, the father of a Xi’an resident did not receive medical care after having a sudden heart attack, despite having a negative COVID test. They were also unable to get help through a medical hotline.
“Xi’an SOS,” the resident wrote in a petition for outside help.
The complicating situation gave rise to online rumors about a shortage of supplies that left residents confused and upset. A video shows people using a horse to bring supplies to Fengyang, a small town in Shaanxi province. Officials later denied that the traffic restrictions prompted locals to rely on alternative modes of transport.
Local leaders in Xi’an have discouraged people from returning to their rural hometowns during the New Year’s holiday. There has been growing concern about the virus spreading to other regions and the increased risk of spillover incidents, according to officials who spoke at a news conference on Monday.
Henan’s provincial capital, Zhengzhou, was partially closed overnight after two Covid cases were reported in the city on Monday. Yuzhou, a small town in the same province, was previously closed.
The shortage of food and medical care has worsened over the past 12 days as authorities lock down the city of 13 million people to try to contain a flare-up that has already caused more than 1,600 infections. Posts have started appearing on Chinese social media criticizing the government’s poor management of the lockdown and complaining about the extremely limited access to food.
Scenes like this had not been seen in China since the first days of the epidemic, when authorities closed down Wuhan and began covid zero This policy has been in place since then. more contagious delta The variant has made the stringent approach more difficult, at a time when much of the world has been infected to live with the virus as it continues to mutate into even more communicable strains. China has not yet reported cases of Omicron in the community.
Fanning out
The outbreak appears to have spread from the epicenter of Xi’an, which reported 95 new cases on Tuesday, with the number of infections rising elsewhere. Eastern Province zhejiang and the central province of Henan reported eight and five cases, respectively, while another 21 asymptomatic infections were detected nationwide and counted separately.
More than 100 people have been diagnosed daily for the past 10 days, a complete departure in China where the zero-tolerance COVID policy resulted in few locally transmitted infections for much of 2021. The deteriorating situation is putting the authorities under increased pressure as the Lunar New Year approaches. The country’s most important holiday and busiest travel season is on the way, and Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics starting in February.
According to social media posts, some residents of Xi’an have started swapping food and cigarettes amid the shortage. Residents have been asked to stay inside their homes during the lockdown, with a family member allowed to leave every other day in a sometimes fruitless attempt to find supplies. Others criticized the authorities for giving priority to residential complexes where government officials reside.
Xi’an’s deputy mayor, and another official from the hardest-hit district, were fired as the city vowed to “strengthen epidemic prevention”.
sign of trouble
The rising number of cases and the chaos in hospitals are deteriorating nerves, squeezing medical resources, denying care to patients suffering from other conditions.
According to a widely circulated article on social media, the father of a Xi’an resident did not receive medical care after having a sudden heart attack, despite having a negative COVID test. They were also unable to get help through a medical hotline.
“Xi’an SOS,” the resident wrote in a petition for outside help.
The complicating situation gave rise to online rumors about a shortage of supplies that left residents confused and upset. A video shows people using a horse to bring supplies to Fengyang, a small town in Shaanxi province. Officials later denied that the traffic restrictions prompted locals to rely on alternative modes of transport.
Local leaders in Xi’an have discouraged people from returning to their rural hometowns during the New Year’s holiday. There has been growing concern about the virus spreading to other regions and the increased risk of spillover incidents, according to officials who spoke at a news conference on Monday.
Henan’s provincial capital, Zhengzhou, was partially closed overnight after two Covid cases were reported in the city on Monday. Yuzhou, a small town in the same province, was previously closed.
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