China announced on Sunday that an 87-year-old man from Beijing died from covid-19 for the first time since May, as the rise in cases has caused the phasing out of commercial businesses.
The National Health Commission has announced more than 24,000 new local positive cases in the country within 24 hours, the vast majority of which are asymptomatic.
Guangdong (south), the major manufacturing region with the metropolitan areas of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, is the most affected.
Beijing reported 621 new cases. Part of the population is confined to their homes and large numbers of people have been sent to quarantine centres.
But unlike previous outbreaks, authorities seem willing to refrain from imposing widespread restrictions on a population increasingly angered by anti-Kovid measures.
Major shopping malls in Beijing announced their closure on Sunday. Others have reduced opening hours and some restaurants have imposed restrictions – many closed to customers, but deliveries are still allowed.
According to the public television channel CCTV, the man who died in the country’s capital was in mild covid condition, but his condition worsened with bacterial infection.
This is the first official death from covid in the country since the end of May.
Many commercial buildings in the Chaoyang district, which is home to companies and embassies, have asked employees to continue working from home.
Some schools have resumed distance learning. Parks, sports fields and gyms also closed their doors.
Authorities on Saturday asked residents to avoid “non-essential” travel between different parts of Beijing to contain the spread of the virus.
With more than 8,000 new positive cases reported, the metropolitan city of Guangzhou began large-scale testing this Sunday in its central Haizhu district, home to about 1.8 million people.
On November 11, China announced the relaxation of its ‘covid zero’ strategy, with measures such as reducing quarantines, especially for people coming from abroad.
But with a few restrictions, quarantines and large-scale testing, the return to normal is still far away.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.