Sébastien Le Belzic (in Beijing), edited by Solène Leroux
, modified at
7:40 a.m., December 28, 2021
More and more severe restrictions. All of the city’s residents in Xi’an, China are now strictly confined. Very affected by the Covid-19, it is fully cordoned off and looks like a real ghost town.
Images of the deserted city of Xi’an look like Wuhan almost two years ago at the start of the pandemic. Empty arteries and 13 million people locked in their homes in confinement, with a ban on going out, except once every three days for supplies. Violators face ten days in prison. The city is cut off from the rest of China. No more trains or planes serve the former Chinese imperial capital.
“Only vehicles carrying basic necessities and medical equipment can enter and leave the city”, explains a local police official, who summarizes these very strict measures. “They can only stay in the area for 12 hours, at the most.”
Screening tests every three days
Hundreds of tankers crisscross the city and spray them with disinfectants. And the population must undergo screening tests every three days. Schools, non-essential shops and businesses are closed, and several town hall officials have been sanctioned for their mismanagement.
With 39 days before the Beijing Olympics, the government does not want to take any risks and promises to further strengthen its measures to fight the epidemic.