Only a few corona regulations still apply worldwide. In China, however, every outbreak is followed by a lockdown – with fatal costs for people and the economy. However, the leadership in Beijing wants to stay the course even in the third year of the pandemic.
China has dismissed recent expectations of an easing of its strict coronavirus control policies. The measures taken as part of the zero-Covid policy are “perfectly correct and maximally economical and effective,” said Hu Xiang, a representative of the National Health Commission, at a press conference. She was responding to the question of whether the policy to combat the pandemic would be changed in the near future. “We should adhere to the principle of putting people and life first and the comprehensive strategy of preventing introduction and re-spreading.”
Recently, there had been increasing signals in China that the government was moving away from its strict “zero Covid policy”. There was hope, particularly in the economy and financial markets, that the world’s second largest economy could lift at least some of the severe restrictions, as even small outbreaks can still lead to widespread lockdowns.
Recent corona cases had led to the closure of the world’s largest iPhone factory in central China’s Zhengzhou. More than 200,000 employees live and work isolated from the outside world on the site. Most recently, however, a large number of employees had complained about treatment and care on social media. Many employees therefore tried to flee the premises. Foxconn then quadrupled bonuses to appease employees.
A few days ago, visitors to the Disney leisure and holiday park in Shanghai were also surprised by a corona lockdown. They may and were only allowed to leave the resort if they could show at least one negative corona test on site.
China operates a zero Covid policy that includes lockdowns, quarantines and rigorous testing. There will soon be significant course changes, China’s former chief epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Prevention, Guang Zeng, said on Friday with a view to the strict rules. There are more and more prerequisites for such steps, such as new vaccines and advances in drug research.