BEIJING - China reported 14,878 new Covid-19 infections for Saturday, including a record number of new daily cases in capital city Beijing, as well as in manufacturing hubs Guangzhou and Zhengzhou.
The new cases come as industrial activity in Guangzhou and Zhengzhou has been disrupted by restrictions aimed at controlling outbreaks.
The number of daily cases in China rose from 11,950 on Friday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday. Excluding imported infections, China reported 14,761 new local cases, up from 11,803 a day earlier.
Beijing reported a record 235 new daily cases, up from 116 the previous day, local government data showed.
Guangzhou, with a population of nearly 19 million people, reported 3,653 new locally transmitted cases – also a historic high. That was up from 3,180 cases the day before.
Zhengzhou city in Henan province, home to Apple supplier Foxconn’s plant, reported a record 2,642 new daily cases. Foxconn has said it aims to resume full production in the second half of November, after operations were disrupted due to Covid-19 prevention measures.
The record highs also come as official media reported that work to remove “pop-up windows” on smartphone health apps that prevent people from entering or returning to Beijing is in progress and in effect in many places.
The health app requires a negative PCR test to allow unrestricted mobility.
The Chinese government’s zero-Covid-19 policy has slowed China’s economy, disrupted global supply chains and angered its citizens.
A slew of changes to its Covid-19 curbs was announced by the NHC on Friday, to ease some measures on travel, quarantine and lockdowns on businesses.
On the same day, the People’s Bank of China and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission unveiled a sweeping rescue package to bail out a real estate market mired in a record slowdown.
Change has come quickly on the ground shortly after the changes. Cities have reduced mass Covid-19 testing and released people from quarantine camps, according to the new guidelines, even as the national caseload rose.
Further changes would be made in small steps, officials said at a Saturday briefing on the policy adjustment.
Medical demands of residents amid an outbreak must be answered and handled properly, and turning away patients due to virus control reasons is strictly prohibited, a senior health official warned local governments on Saturday.
The scope and degree of loosening remain unclear following the new rules, especially in cities where the number of cases is persistently high.
During a meeting on virus controls in Chongqing, which reported 1,817 new cases on Saturday, Party Secretary Chen Min’er emphasised that work to minimise movement and gatherings should continue, and that testing capacities should be stepped up to prevent further spread, according to a local media report.
In another sign of caution, the West Bund art and design fair in Shanghai has been suspended on health concerns, according to the organiser’s WeChat account.
NHC said in a statement on Sunday that the Covid-19 prevention and control situation remains serious and complex.
“It is necessary to maintain strategic focus, and scientifically and accurately do the work of epidemic prevention and control,” it said. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
