Coronavirus Asia
Shenzhen lockdown eases as Xi seeks to soften virus impact
Factories, transport in five districts allowed to operate in bid to lessen economic blow
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BEIJING • Shenzhen allowed factories and public transport in several parts of the city to resume operations yesterday, partially easing a strict lockdown that has paralysed the technology hub bordering Hong Kong as President Xi Jinping pledges to soften the economic impact of his measures to fight Covid-19.
A total of five districts reopened from the citywide lockdown, allowing workers in those areas to return to their offices. Train and bus services resumed after being shut down since Monday.
The rest of the city will still be subject to movement restrictions, the government said.
Shenzhen will strive to bring Covid-19 under control with minimal cost and provide customised solutions to ensure business activities and production, the city's health commission said in a statement published on its website late on Thursday.
The partial lifting came less than a week after the southern technology powerhouse of 17.5 million people was locked down suddenly to quash the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant.
China's government is seeking to navigate a path that limits disruptions to the world's second-biggest economy, while holding on to a zero-Covid-19 strategy that is facing unprecedented challenges.
The country has imposed more lockdowns over the past week than at any point in the pandemic, including in Langfang, a city near Beijing, and the province of Jilin. Shanghai has also implemented movement curbs, though they are short of a full lockdown.
Mr Xi's emphasis on the need to insulate against economic damage signals a shift in the country's zero-tolerance strategy, and follows a series of policy changes. China approved Pfizer's antiviral pill, allowed the use of rapid antigen tests to confirm infections, and permitted mild and asymptomatic Covid-19 patients to quarantine in isolation facilities to avoid overwhelming hospitals.
In a sign of a potential blueprint, iPhone maker Foxconn Technology Group was allowed to partially resume its operations in Shenzhen on Wednesday by deploying a so-called closed-loop system similar to one implemented successfully during the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Under the system, workers are asked to eat, sleep and work in bubbles isolated from the wider world, sterilising premises as often as three times a day and testing for Covid-19 daily.
Creating such bubbles is not easy. Foxconn said it could apply the bubble only on campuses that included both employee housing and production facilities.
Mr Jin Yong, a factory worker in Shenzhen, told Reuters he had not stepped out of the electronics plant where he works since late last month, when they started operating a "closed-loop" system for more than 2,000 workers.
China has imposed more lockdowns over the past week than at any point in the pandemic, including in Langfang, a city near Beijing, and the province of Jilin. Shanghai has also implemented movement curbs, though they are short of a full lockdown.
While it was slightly depressing to not be able to leave for a walk, he said he felt it was a good approach to battle Covid-19.
"We have to take a Covid-19 test every day. And every day, we have to maintain a special code showing that we have been tested within 24 hours," he said, describing the factory site as self-sufficient with a barber shop, canteen and fruit shop. The workers live in dormitories.
Memory chip maker Micron Technology said on Thursday that it is encouraging employees at its engineering and customer sites in Shenzhen and Shanghai to work from home as coronavirus cases surge in China.
Separately, another US chip firm and Apple supplier ON Semiconductor said on Wednesday that its manufacturing facility in Shenzhen was closed from March 14 to tomorrow.
BLOOMBERG, REUTERS
