Millions of Beijing residents returned to work from home on Monday after authorities tightened anti-covid measures and turned China’s capital of 22 million people into a ghost town.
For two months now, China has been facing the most serious epidemic outbreak since the beginning of 2020.
While the number of infections is minimal compared to the world level, authorities maintain strict enforcement of the “covid zero” policy and impose quarantines in all cities when some cases are detected.
After Shanghai, the country’s most populous city, which has been in quarantine since the beginning of April, Beijing has been under travel restrictions for a week and many public places (restaurants, cafes, gyms, others) are closed.
On Monday, authorities severely restricted access to non-essential services in Chaoyang district, the capital’s most dynamic and populous district.
Sanlitun, the bustling business district east of Beijing, was abandoned on Monday. For example, the American brand Apple was ordered to close its doors minutes after starting its operations.
“I don’t feel comfortable with a few people around me,” Wang, a cleaning worker, told AFP as he waited to enter the restaurant where he worked.
“I am responsible for disinfection, I cannot work from home,” he said.
Moving to hotels
Beijing announced 49 new cases of covid in the last 24 hours on Monday.
Xu Hejian, a senior official in the city government, said the situation in the capital was “serious and complex” and urged Beijing residents not to leave the city.
At the same time, the government announced the requirement for an anti-covid test of less than 48 hours to allow entry to public places such as supermarkets and commercial buildings.
Some finance workers have moved to hotels near their business offices.
“Our company said we should try not to go home because they believe there are risks to commuting,” said a Beijing-based investment manager, who went to a hotel near his workplace.
“Some friends have been advised not to use public transport to get to work, or to go by car or bike,” he added.
In Shanghai, the number of infections on Monday fell below 4,000 after surpassing 25,000 in 24 hours at the end of April.
According to official figures, the current epidemic outbreak has caused more than 500 deaths in Shanghai. China has officially recorded more than 5,000 deaths caused by covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.
After nearly 40 days of lockdown and some food supply problems, Shanghai residents are starting to show their discomfort.
In the Zhuanqiao neighborhood, several people over the weekend faced government officials wearing full protective anti-covid suits, according to a video posted on social media.
“Police acted quickly to disperse bystanders and restore calm,” local officials said. Said.
The same sources announced that “according to an investigation, agitators have enough food at home.”
Its confinement in China’s economic capital, a port of entry and exit for goods, has had a huge impact on the Asian giant’s economy.
Last month, exports from China recorded the slowest growth rate in almost two years (+3.9%). This was the worst result for Chinese exports since June 2020 (+0.5%).
source: Noticias
