In the city of Xi’an in the north of the country, which has been under a complete curfew since December 22, the authorities lifted most of the restrictions on Monday. Only one district of the city of 13 million people remains sealed off for the time being.
Travel regulations relaxed
Public transport and the economy of the metropolis, famous for its terracotta army, fully resumed operations. According to the authorities, residents are allowed to leave the city again, travelers to Xi’an must continue to present a negative test result – however, entry remains prohibited for travelers from Chinese areas with virus outbreaks.
Zero Covid strategy put to the test
Xi’an residents have been locked in their homes since December 22 due to a coronavirus outbreak. In the meantime, the number of cases of infection rose to over 2,100 – it was the largest local outbreak in China in months. With the help of the rigorous measures, the number of new infections fell into the single digits.
China is pursuing a strict zero-Covid strategy: the slightest hint of the virus leads to targeted lockdowns, contact tracing and long quarantines. However, the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus and the Beijing Winter Olympics starting on February 4 are putting this strategy to the test.
Delta eruption in Beijing
In the Chinese capital, the already strict protective measures have been further tightened: All residents who buy over-the-counter fever medication must now undergo a corona test. Since Sunday, all two million residents of the Fengtai district near the venue have also had to be tested. There, an outbreak with the Delta variant was found among employees of frozen food companies.
The outbreak has now spread to neighboring Shandong province, local authorities said on Monday. Customs meanwhile expanded the controls on frozen imports.
China’s leadership wants to shine with a smooth running of the Olympic Winter Games. For the games, the authorities have declared an almost 200-kilometer-long zone to be a sealed-off Olympic bubble to protect against corona. On Monday, they urged Beijing residents to stay at home during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Environment Ministry warns of air pollution
Another headache for the authorities is the poor air quality that is usual at this time of year. China’s Environment Ministry warned Monday that severe air pollution is expected during the Olympic Games: “The Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games coincide with the end of winter and the beginning of spring in northern China, when weather conditions are extremely unfavorable,” he said Spokesman Liu Youbin in front of journalists.
According to him, however, contingency plans are already in place for all communities to improve air quality in the short term, including production cuts at particularly polluting companies in the host cities of Beijing and Zhangjiakou.
The Chinese capital has declared its war on pollution after winning the 2015 Olympic Games bid. Among other things, she succeeded in significantly reducing fine dust pollution. However, air quality is still well below the standards recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the index of the Swiss technology company IQAir, on Monday it was in the “very unhealthy” range.