BEIJING: China’s government on Sunday responded to a spike in coronavirus infections by closing its southern business center of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricting access to Shanghai by suspending bus service.
Everyone in Shenzhen, a finance and technology hub that abuts Hong Kong, will undergo three rounds of testing after 60 new cases were reported on Sunday. All businesses were ordered to close or work from home except those that supply food, fuel and other necessities.
The case count in China’s latest infection surge is lower than other countries and with Hong Kong, which reported more than 32,000 on Sunday. But mainland officials are implementing a strategy of “zero tolerance” and have locked down entire cities to find and isolate each infected person.
Shenzhen is home to some of China’s most prominent companies, including telecommunications equipment manufacturers Huawei Technologies Limitedelectric car brand world auto, Ping An Insurance Company And Tencent HoldingOperator of the popular WeChat messaging service.
On the mainland, the government reported 1,938 new cases, more than three times Saturday’s total.
About three-quarters, or 1,412 of the cases, were in northeast’s Jilin province, where the industrial metropolis of Changchun was placed under lockdown on Friday and families were told to stay home after infections.
China, where the first coronavirus cases were detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, has seen a total of 4,636 deaths on the mainland out of 115,466 confirmed cases since the pandemic began.
In Shanghai, China’s most populous city with 24 million people, the number of cases rose by 15 to 432 in the latest surge.
The city government called upon the public not to step out unless necessary. It said the intercity bus service starting Sunday would be suspended.
“Those who come to or return to Shanghai must have a negative nucleic acid test report within 48 hours of arrival,” a statement from the city’s health agency said.
In Hong Kong, a health official warned the public not to assume the region’s deadly coronavirus surge was under control as the government reported 190 new deaths, most of them elderly people, and 32,430 new cases. This is above 50,000 after stringent travel and trade restrictions were imposed.
Hong Kong, the crowded financial hub of 7.4 million, is trying to contain an outbreak that has killed 3,993 people, most of them in the latest surge driven by the Omicron version, and has swamped hospitals.
“People should not make a false impression that the virus situation is under control now,” Dr. Albert andan expert with the government health care center, “Once we let our guard down, it’s possible that[the infection]will bounce back and rise again.”
Construction crews dispatched from the mainland have built temporary isolation centers in Hong Kong for thousands of patients.
On the mainland, 831 new cases were reported on Sunday in Changchun, 571 in the nearby provincial capital Jilin and 150 in the eastern port city of Qingdao.
Officials in Jilin have concluded that advancing anti-disease measures after their earlier response was insufficient, according to Zhang Yanodeputy director provincial health commission,
“Emergency response mechanisms in some areas are not adequate,” Zhang told a news conference, according to a transcript released by the government.
According to a government notice, on Sunday, some residents of Cangzhou, south of Beijing, were told to stay home after nine cases were reported. It was not clear how many of its 7.3 million people were affected.
Everyone in Shenzhen, a finance and technology hub that abuts Hong Kong, will undergo three rounds of testing after 60 new cases were reported on Sunday. All businesses were ordered to close or work from home except those that supply food, fuel and other necessities.
The case count in China’s latest infection surge is lower than other countries and with Hong Kong, which reported more than 32,000 on Sunday. But mainland officials are implementing a strategy of “zero tolerance” and have locked down entire cities to find and isolate each infected person.
Shenzhen is home to some of China’s most prominent companies, including telecommunications equipment manufacturers Huawei Technologies Limitedelectric car brand world auto, Ping An Insurance Company And Tencent HoldingOperator of the popular WeChat messaging service.
On the mainland, the government reported 1,938 new cases, more than three times Saturday’s total.
About three-quarters, or 1,412 of the cases, were in northeast’s Jilin province, where the industrial metropolis of Changchun was placed under lockdown on Friday and families were told to stay home after infections.
China, where the first coronavirus cases were detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, has seen a total of 4,636 deaths on the mainland out of 115,466 confirmed cases since the pandemic began.
In Shanghai, China’s most populous city with 24 million people, the number of cases rose by 15 to 432 in the latest surge.
The city government called upon the public not to step out unless necessary. It said the intercity bus service starting Sunday would be suspended.
“Those who come to or return to Shanghai must have a negative nucleic acid test report within 48 hours of arrival,” a statement from the city’s health agency said.
In Hong Kong, a health official warned the public not to assume the region’s deadly coronavirus surge was under control as the government reported 190 new deaths, most of them elderly people, and 32,430 new cases. This is above 50,000 after stringent travel and trade restrictions were imposed.
Hong Kong, the crowded financial hub of 7.4 million, is trying to contain an outbreak that has killed 3,993 people, most of them in the latest surge driven by the Omicron version, and has swamped hospitals.
“People should not make a false impression that the virus situation is under control now,” Dr. Albert andan expert with the government health care center, “Once we let our guard down, it’s possible that[the infection]will bounce back and rise again.”
Construction crews dispatched from the mainland have built temporary isolation centers in Hong Kong for thousands of patients.
On the mainland, 831 new cases were reported on Sunday in Changchun, 571 in the nearby provincial capital Jilin and 150 in the eastern port city of Qingdao.
Officials in Jilin have concluded that advancing anti-disease measures after their earlier response was insufficient, according to Zhang Yanodeputy director provincial health commission,
“Emergency response mechanisms in some areas are not adequate,” Zhang told a news conference, according to a transcript released by the government.
According to a government notice, on Sunday, some residents of Cangzhou, south of Beijing, were told to stay home after nine cases were reported. It was not clear how many of its 7.3 million people were affected.