A new sub-variant of COVID-19 Omicron (BA.5.2.1) identified in Shanghai, has raised the spectre of a new city-wide lockdown, and tensions are reported to be running high as the city faces the prospect of home confinement while in the midst of a heatwave.
Press reports say cases are back in double digits and residents fear this will spur the Chinese authorities into declaring a total lockdown for the city just as businesses are starting to try to recover from two months of home confinement and food shortages. China is one of the last major countries trying to adhere to a strict zero-COVID strategy and using stringent lockdowns to try to achieve that result.
“Just one infection led Wugang, a city in the steel-making region and home to Wuyang Iron & Steel Co., to lock down for three days. Guangdong province, which borders Hong Kong and Macau, posted 42 cases,” reported Bloomberg on July 12.
US press say that outbreaks have flared up across the country and close to 30 million people nationwide are already under some form of movement restriction to try to limit transmission, but so far the government has steered clear of strict lockdowns in key economic regions.
Millions of residents of the city have had to stand in extreme heat (40˚C) waiting in queues for COVID tests as Shanghai authorities ordered most districts to take two rounds of testing inside a week.
Shanghai, a city of 25 million residents, has continued to be subjected to ongoing testing and snap lockdowns in areas where cases have been uncovered. By Tuesday, July 12, 240 neighbourhoods across the city had been placed under lockdown.
Macau’s outbreak
Meanwhile Macau, famous as the casino centre of the East, has had to close all casinos for at least one week from July 11 to July 17, due to an outbreak labelled the city’s worst yet. All businesses in the city have been ordered to close, other than essential services, supermarkets, pharmacies and hotels.
The city is one of China’s two special administrative regions, lying west of Hong Kong, the other special region. Thirty districts are under lockdown and four rounds of mass testing are on the cards.
Essential services such as water and gas utilities as well as businesses, including supermarkets, pharmacies and hotels, will remain open, according to a government announcement Saturday. The Macau Light Rail Transit will be non-operational for the week.
