Shanghai, without covid cases for the first time since March

Afp and Europe Press

Newspaper La Jornada
Monday, June 27, 2022, p. 17

Beijing. The Chinese city of Shanghai did not register any new covid-19 infections yesterday for the first time since March, when a strong outbreak linked to the omicron variant broke out that led to a long and severe confinement.

There were no new confirmed domestic cases of covid-19 and no new asymptomatic infections in Shanghai on June 24, 2022the government of the city of 25 million inhabitants said in a statement.

In March, infections began to multiply in the economic capital of the country, which ended up decreeing a severe confinement for two months. The lockdown, criticized by the population struggling to get food and medical care, was lifted virtually in early June, although the return to normality was hampered by the reinstatement of restrictions in some districts. Two weeks ago, millions of people went back into lockdown as the municipal government launched a massive testing campaign in some areas.

On the other hand, the capital Beijing closed schools and offices for weeks due to another outbreak that, according to the authorities, was contained last week.

The municipal education office indicated the day before yesterday that all elementary and middle school students could return to classes starting today, although teachers, students and parents will have to undergo a PCR test. The capital reported only two new infections on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Shenzhen, a large industrial city in the south of the country, announced yesterday that it will close wholesale markets, cinemas and gyms in a central district bordering Hong Kong for three days, after cases of coronavirus.

Likewise, some bus and Metro lines were suspended, and the deadline for the mandatory negative report of the coronavirus test has been reduced to 24 hours, reported the South China Morning Post.

China is one of the world’s largest economies that continues to apply the so-called strategy zero covid to eradicate the virus through international travel restrictions, quarantines, mass testing and severe lockdowns.

The authorities insist that this policy is necessary to avoid a collapse of the health care system due to the unequal distribution of medical resources and the low vaccination rates of the elderly population.

The pandemic has left 543 million 542 thousand 602 confirmed cases and 6 million 328 thousand 974 deaths in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.