China is experiencing its worst Covid outbreak since the initial outbreak back in 2019. The chart below it shows the spike in the outbreak of the virus from January 22nd, 2020, to March 7th, 2022, to the point where more than 1,000 cases are being reported daily.
The Chinese government has ramped up its strategies for controlling this new outbreak by providing mass Covid testing facilities and temporary hospitals, and by confining millions to their homes.
Since the Jilin provenance has the highest number of cases, the province is now in complete lockdown and the government has made it impossible for citizens to travel in or out of the province to help prevent further outbreak throughout the country.
The new lockdown raises concerns for the public and businesses who will face possible financial burdens now they are forced to work from home. Global companies such as Apple and Volkswagen are also badly affected through having to alter production in order to minimise any major losses they might face.
I spoke to a native from China to get her views on the new outbreak, restrictions, and lockdown.
Jingyi Qiu (23) who also goes by the name Abby is currently studying in London for her master’s degree in education says, “I’m worried about how long I’d have to isolate once I go back since quarantine has extended from 14 days to 28 days”.
Jingyi has family living in China who are experiencing this first-hand and says, “they have to constantly get tested by the community and (are) checking QR health codes everyday”.
Jingyi also expressed her concerns for vulnerable citizens such as the elderly and feels, but at ease knowing “they’re being protected well”. She believes the lockdown will not impact the elderly greatly but expresses that it may be a little harder on the younger generations as they will not have the freedom to move freely around the city.
China’s is ‘zero-Covid’ policy has been effective in controlling infection in the past. But as the BBC reported recently, the economic consequences are dire.
Meanwhile here in the UK the loss of restrictions has reignited the economy. The question now is how much this will reignite the pandemic here at home. The Romford Recorder recently reported an “upward trend in Covid patient counts emerging at east London hospitals.”