The city of the world-famous terracotta warriors is resting for an unknown time after initially 143 corona cases. The example shows how China can hold out its zero-covid strategy for so long – and which breakdowns and exceptions there can be despite strict measures.
Xian, the capital of Shaanxi Province, is in lockdown.
If you want to know how China works, you can get good object lesson with the recent corona outbreak in Xian, central China. 13 million people live in the city. There were 143 corona cases from December 9 to 22. For most countries in the world that would be nothing; for China it is a minor disaster. A few hours later, on Thursday at midnight, the former capital went into lockdown with the world-famous terracotta warriors, for an unknown time.
Residents are only allowed to leave the city in exceptional cases and with a letter from the local government. All domestic flights on Thursday have been canceled. According to media reports, train stations and stations for intercity buses were barricaded. The police check the car occupants on the highways. In each household, only one family member is allowed to leave the home every two days to buy everyday necessities.
Olympia and the Chinese New Year are coming up
The local government in Xian is using the full range of tools of China’s zero-covid strategy. As the state media also write, a few weeks before the Chinese New Year celebrations and the Winter Olympics in early February, the authorities are under particular pressure to get the outbreak under control. On Thursday, Xian began testing all of its 13 million residents for Covid-19 for the third time this month.
The Chinese authorities are always trying to track the exact chains of transmission in order to end outbreaks quickly. In Xian, however, it is still unclear how the virus spread. Authorities believe it all started with a flight from Pakistan on December 4th. At least six of the passengers were infected with the Delta variant.
The residents of the city of 13 million have already been tested three times in December – with 143 confirmed cases of the corona virus.
The new Omikron variant has not yet been reported from Xian. At least three other cities reported isolated omicron cases, all imported by immigrants; there should not have been a local transmission yet. However, if the highly contagious variant spreads, China could have a problem: even three doses of the widely used Sinovac vaccine did not generate enough antibodies against Omikron, researchers from Hong Kong announced on Thursday.
China’s zero-covid strategy has resulted in the country reporting only 130,000 cases since the pandemic began. According to the World Health Organization, there are 1.2 million in Switzerland alone. Nevertheless, even here public life is paralyzed in only a few cases because of the often harsh countermeasures.
Universities prohibit travel
In the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, for example, university employees report that their employer also forbids them to travel to other provinces privately. Sometimes even people who just sat on the same plane as someone who came into contact with a patient have to be quarantined for two weeks. Traveling in times of the pandemic has become Russian roulette in practically covid-free China.
The centralist, authoritarian party state is still in full swing in the fight against corona. The rapid measures appear to be coordinated and comprehensive. In Xian, for example, the minimum intervals for subway line 1 have been reduced to “8 minutes and 13 seconds”, and the education authority broadcasts daily broadcasts for students stuck at home on their TV channel Program with «famous teachers», and truck drivers can use the messenger WeChat to apply to the traffic police for a special permit for journeys outside of Xian.
It is unclear which of these really only serves to control pandemics. Several local authorities and party organizations call on the online communication platforms, among other things, to spread “positive energy”. This is a propaganda slogan particularly valued by party and state leader Xi Jinping, which ultimately justifies extensive censorship. According to its own information, the cyber administration of the local party committee has determined in the case of forty social media accounts, which it accuses, among other things, of spreading fake news.
In Xian, only one person in the household is allowed to leave the house every two days until further notice.
QR code system crashed
But even the well-oiled machine does not always run as desired by party leaders. On Monday, the online system of so-called QR health codes crashed in Xian. In many public places, the Chinese have to use their smartphones to prove that they have not recently been in a risk area. Because of the crash, people in Xian apparently couldn’t use public transport on Monday, for example.
On Friday, the Communist Party’s Central Commission on Disciplinary Inspections reported that 26 people and 4 local party organizations and other institutions had been fined in Xian since early December. Among other things, they are accused of “chaotic management” and disregarding rules, reported the party newspaper “Global Times».
It is also interesting which exceptions there are despite all the strictness during the lockdown: From tomorrow Saturday to Monday, exams for 4.5 million Bachelor graduates will take place nationwide at the same time. Around 135,000 students in Xian should also take part as usual – all previously tested twice for Corona.