The situation in more than 20 provinces and cities including Jilin, Hebei, Guangdong, and Shanghai has deteriorated….reports Asian Lite News
China on Thursday reported 1,301 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said Friday.
Of the new local infections, 1,110 were reported in the province of Jilin, 27 in Shanghai, 25 in Tianjin, 24 in Hebei, 23 each in Heilongjiang and Jiangxi and 17 in Fujian, Xinhua reported.
The rest of the cases were reported in 11 other provincial-level regions, including Shandong and Henan, as per Xinhua.
According to the commission, a total of 65 imported COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic situation in China continues to heat up as more than 20 provinces and cities have imposed travel bans and lockdowns.
The situation in more than 20 provinces and cities including Jilin, Hebei, Guangdong, and Shanghai has deteriorated.
The country has clung to a zero-tolerance approach to the virus that relies on stringent lockdowns, mass testing and quarantine in government facilities.
Moreover, China’s zero tolerant COVID policy resulting in the killing of pets is drawing widespread criticism by Chinese citizens who have started questioning the government regarding violation of privacy, security of the property and cruelty against animals, according to a media report.
As per a video circulated on China’s social media, a pet dog named Snowball was beaten to death by anti-COVID workers, while its owner was in a quarantine facility, reported The Hong Kong Post.
Expert slams zero-Covid policy
Shanghai-based renowned infectious disease expert Zhang Wenhong, in his Sina Weibo post, on Wednesday said that sustaining a normal life should be placed in the same important position as implementing dynamic zero-case policy and the mindset of “fighting the virus regardless of costs” should be abandoned.
These remarks came at a time when Shanghai, has seen a sharp increase in the covid cases and is grappling with the situation. Shanghai reported four confirmed cases and 979 asymptomatic cases, according to the local health commission on Thursday, reported the Global Times.
Zhang, in his post titled “Coronavirus not scary but difficult to fight”, said, “The combat against coronavirus is a long-term one, it requires us not only to stamp out the epidemic, but also guarantee people’s lives and normal access to hospitals, and the survival of businesses. All these will become the focus of a later phase of Shanghai’s fight against coronavirus.”
Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Beijing will stick to its “zero Covid-19” policy, days after National Health Commission (NHC) released new guidelines easing its control measures.
The NHC had uploaded a new document on its website. Titled the Novel Coronavirus Diagnosis And Treatment Plan, it was the ninth revision to a document setting out COVID-19 policy for the country of 1.4 billion.
China’s zero-COVID policy is pushing cash-strapped local governments to the brink amid rising health care costs and efforts to control debt. (ANI)