China punishes people trying to flee Covid-19 controls in Xi'an
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China locked down Xi'an on Dec 23, its most dramatic move since the novel coronavirus was detected in Wuhan.
PHOTO: AFP
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BEIJING (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS) - China is punishing people trying to evade its latest Covid-19 lockdown in Xi'an as a top official urged forceful moves to curb the outbreak in the city of 13 million people.
Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan said local authorities need to adopt more targeted and forceful measures and improve quarantine controls, the official Xinhua news agency reported late on Thursday (Dec 30).
China reported 166 local confirmed cases on Thursday, 161 of them in the city in China's Shaanxi province, bringing the total number of local infections in Xi'an to more than 1,200 since the flare-up began on Dec 9.
The situation in Xi'an is severe and complex, Ms Sun was cited as saying during a visit. She also urged the government to step up contact tracing efforts.
Local police have had to track down people attempting to duck the tight controls. One man who tried to wade across the Wei River to get out of town was given a warning, according to the government, while police said another resident who peddled 80km on a shared bicycle to his home town was fined and sent to quarantine.
A man who hiked 100km from the airport to a nearby county was also sent to quarantine by police and handed an unspecified punishment.
China locked down Xi'an on Dec 23, its most dramatic move since the coronavirus was detected in Wuhan and a sign that the leaders of the world's No. 2 economy are sticking to their zero-tolerance approach to the pandemic.
The city, an emerging tech hub famous for its 2,200-year-old terracotta warriors, has carried out several rounds of mass virus testing, asked people to remain indoors, banned driving, and limited entry from other parts of the nation.
Many residents have been barred from leaving their housing compounds unless going out to take Covid-19 tests or attending to essential matters approved by the authorities.
The restrictions on movement have resulted in residents having trouble buying groceries earlier this week, Beijing-based Caixin Global reported, citing locals. State media including the Global Times later said the situation has eased as local officials stepped up the distribution of household supplies.
Tech companies Micron Technology and Samsung Electronics have said that production at their factories in the city has been affected under the lockdown.
Micron, a chipmaker, said it will be able to meet most of its customer demand but new supply arrangements may cause delays. It added that it is taking appropriate measures to minimise the risk of the virus at its plant, including on-site testing, physical distancing and temporarily reducing the workforce density.
