Beijing's record virus cases spark fears of broad lockdown

BEIJING • Beijing has reported a record number of new Covid-19 cases for its current outbreak, reviving concern that China's capital may face a broad lockdown as the authorities seek to stamp out community spread of the virus.

The city posted 99 cases for Sunday, up from 61 the day before. While the total is still low, the spike is one of the biggest since the outbreak started, with the case tally mostly hovering around 50 a day.

Beijing's growing outbreak underscores the challenges of China's zero-tolerance approach, with an unprecedented shutdown of Shanghai offering a cautionary tale of how early mistakes could lead to rapid spread of a virus the authorities are still trying to wipe out.

There were 802 infections reported China-wide for Sunday, from 824 on Saturday. That was the first time the tally was below 1,000 since March 9, and it is down from a daily peak of almost 30,000 on April 13.

Shanghai reported 558 cases on Sunday, a fall from 622 the day before. No new infections were found outside of government quarantine in the financial hub.

China's Covid-19 cases have shown a steady decline in recent days and, while Shanghai's situation is improving, there is pressure to prevent a rebound, National Health Commission official Lei Zhenglong said at a briefing yesterday. Beijing has seen both virus clusters and sporadic infection, and there is risk of transmission in some areas.

Containing Covid-19 has come at a heavy cost for China. Millions of Shanghai residents have been confined to their homes for weeks, and even though the lockdown is easing, many restrictions remain.

China's pursuit of zero virus cases means the nation is likely to remain in a loop of lockdowns and swift responses until the Chinese Communist Party congress later this year, where Presiding Xi Jinping is expected to secure an unprecedented third term in power.

Meanwhile, leaders have pledged financial support to reach the country's growth targets and are weighing other measures to curtail the damage to China's international reputation.

While Shanghai's flare-up is coming under better control, the city has reported hundreds of deaths, mostly among unvaccinated elderly residents.

Only 62 per cent of people aged 60 or above have been fully vaccinated, a municipal health commission official said yesterday. That is below the national rate of about 82 per cent and is unchanged since mid-April, when the city was deep in its lockdown.

Health authorities are encouraging residents to get inoculated now that restrictions are easing and vaccine clinics are reopening.

Shanghai authorities on Sunday laid out the criteria they would use to categorise parts of the city as low-risk for Covid-19 as they look to end the lockdown.

From June, districts that have not reported positive cases or community infections for 14 days will be defined as low-risk. Residents in high-and medium-risk areas will be restricted to their homes and be required to take a PCR test daily for 14 days.

Elsewhere, the northern port city of Tianjin is racing to contain an Omicron flare-up. Mass testing over the weekend weeded out new cases, with signs of infections spreading from two districts to the downtown area of the city of 13.7 million residents.

An outbreak back in January disrupted supply chains for automakers Toyota Motor and Volkswagen.

In Henan, the province's nearly 100 million people have been ordered to take a Covid-19 test every two days, an unprecedented step.

"Residents of (Henan) province and other personnel there should complete nucleic acid sampling at least once every 48 hours," said an article posted on Sunday on the local government's website.

The testing will begin in Henan's provincial capital of Zhengzhou before the end of May, the authorities said, according to the report, to help with "identifying potential risks" quickly.

Residents who do not comply will have problems scanning the codes needed to enter public places or take transport.

Other provincial capitals - such as Shijiazhuang in the northern province of Hebei - have also rolled out similar measures, with Shijiazhuang saying it would start weekly Covid-19 tests for its 11 million people yesterday.

Analysts have cautioned that frequent mass testing comes at a high cost to an already faltering economy. If similar mandates are imposed in all of mainland China, it could cost between 0.9 per cent and 2.3 per cent of China's gross domestic product, said Nomura analysts in a report this month.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG