China begins mass disinfection of Xi'an amid recent rise in cases

BEIJING • The north-western Chinese city of Xi'an has begun widespread disinfection measures to counter a jump in Covid infections that has forced the lockdown of 13 million residents.

The authorities are spraying disinfectant across the city, and asking residents to close windows and avoid touching architectural surfaces and vegetation on streets.

As of yesterday, no vehicles were allowed on the roads unless they were for virus control or for people's livelihoods. Violators could face up to 10 days in police detention and a fine of 500 yuan (S$106).

The city told residents yesterday not to leave home unless they were providing samples in a new round of citywide testing. People in less risky areas would be allowed to go out to buy necessities if they tested negative, the city government said.

Anyone who refuses to follow the rules during testing, including keeping 1m away from one another in queues, could also face detention and a fine, police said.

Since last week, Xi'an residents have not been allowed to leave the city without permission from their employer or the authorities.

Dr Jin Dongyan, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, said the mass disinfection of outdoor air and surfaces seemed unnecessary, given the low risk of people catching Covid-19 from outdoor surfaces or the air, with so few people outside.

"This is shooting mosquitoes with cannon," said Dr Jin, though he believes disinfection of indoor surfaces, especially in places visited by infected people, was necessary.

China yesterday reported 162 domestic Covid-19 infections, with 150 of those from Xi'an - the highest daily caseload since Jan 22.

A surge of that scale is rarely seen in China, which is the only major country in the world still aggressively trying to eliminate the virus via closed borders and stringent domestic curbs under what is called a zero-Covid-19 strategy.

The Xi'an outbreak, which has seen more than 600 cases in less than three weeks, and is being blamed on the Delta variant, underscores the difficulty China faces in returning domestic infections to nil as the virus mutates into forms that are more capable of escaping stringent containment measures.

 

Even so, local media quoted Dr Zhang Boli, a senior medical adviser to the Chinese government on Covid-19, as saying that it is still possible to get the outbreak under control by the end of next month, before the Winter Olympics.

 

Infections have also been found in two other cities in Shaanxi province - where Xi'an is situated - and in the Guangxi region, and the provinces of Zhejiang, Guangdong and Sichuan.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government has ordered a two-week suspension of Korean Air flights, the airline said yesterday, after several of its passengers travelling from South Korea to Hong Kong tested positive for Covid-19 upon landing last week, according to Hong Kong's official news platform. The suspension will last until Jan 8.

Korean Air, which runs flights between South Korea and Hong Kong three times a week, said it respects the entry regulations of the Hong Kong government, and all passengers had tested negative when the airline did its checks.

BLOOMBERG, REUTERS