In the extreme southwest of China, a few tens of kilometers from the border with Laos and Burma, Xishuangbanna is one of the preferred tourist destinations for the Chinese who want to escape the winter that is beating down on the northeast of the country. Jinghong, the capital of this miniregion, lives much more to the nonchalant rhythm of the Mekong which crosses it than to the more hectic one of Beijing.
But, for the past few days, the city has been in turmoil. At least one person with Covid-19 would have walked on Friday, December 24 the famous night market which is the charm of Gaozhuang, this district located on the left bank of the river, facing the city center, popular for several years by young people attracted by the nightlife, street food, and the rental for a few hours of stunning Thai costumes that make selfies unforgettable. Result: since Monday, the thousands of residents and tourists who live in this neighborhood have to undergo a daily antigen test. Above all, the whole neighborhood has been cordoned off.
Mousetrap
The tourist paradise turned into a mousetrap in a few minutes. As planes continue to land, tourists may enter without knowing that they will not be able to exit. Faced with growing discontent, the authorities wanted to make a gesture on Wednesday. People who entered the neighborhood after December 25 were allowed to leave on condition that they underwent a PCR test at the hospital in the city center across the bridge. Has the facility been overwhelmed? Did the authorities realize that they were letting people go into the wild? In any case, the authorities again, during the day, closed the crossing point between the neighborhood and the rest of the city, leaving hundreds of tourists, often young people, helpless with their suitcases, trying in vain. to get out.
In front of dozens of police and soldiers, the young people were shouting around 9:30 p.m. “We want tests”. This wait is all the more anxious as all residents of Jinghong City must be tested, from Thursday. A measure which, de facto, prevents residents from leaving. “I absolutely have to go to Beijing. I know that there is no longer a direct flight and that once in the capital I will have to do quarantine at home, but I cannot afford to stay here ”, explains Jane, who arrived a week earlier. It was then 10 p.m. and no doctor had yet taken a test.
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