They return to online classes in Beijing due to covid

Ap and Afp

Newspaper La Jornada
Saturday, November 12, 2022, p. 12

Beijing. China’s capital Beijing has closed parks and imposed restrictions including online classes due to the new wave of covid-19 cases facing the country, where more than 5 million people remain confined to their homes in the industrial city of Beijing. Guangzhou and in the megacity of Chongqing.

The Chinese authorities reported 10,729 new positives yesterday, almost all of them asymptomatic.

After the covid-19 detection tests to which most of the 21 million inhabitants of Beijing undergo almost daily, 118 infections were detected. Many schools returned to online classes, hospitals restricted their services, some shops and restaurants closed, and their staff were isolated. Videos posted on social media showed people protesting or clashing with police and health workers in some areas.

It has become something normal, like eating and sleepingsaid Yang Zheng, a 39-year-old food service worker. I think it has more impact on children, because they have to go to school.

Numerous towns on the outskirts of Beijing, where the workers whose work keeps the city going, reside, were in lockdown.

The Asian giant is the only country that maintains a strategy of zero covidwith lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines disrupting business and supply chains.

The government announced the relaxation of some restrictions, such as reducing the quarantine time for travelers arriving in the country.

Those entering China will only have to spend five days in isolation, up from the previous seven, at a designated isolation location, followed by another three at their place of residence, according to a notice.

With the easing of restrictions approved, airlines will no longer be threatened with the suspension of flights for two weeks if five or more passengers test positive. Likewise, the isolation of people who lived with an infected person will no longer be requested.

The virus domestic risk system goes from three to two levels, divided between zones of high risk subject to restrictions and low risk with minimal steps.

The global balance of the pandemic is 6 million 609 thousand 120 deaths and 634 million 709 thousand 120 infections, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University.