Almost daily controls, mandatory quarantines, confinements as soon as cases appear… China follows a strict health policy, to the detriment of the proper functioning of its production and supply chains.
President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting of the new Communist Party Standing Committee, where the leaders said they wanted to “unswervingly enforce” the rules to prevent Covid-19, public television channel CCTV reported on Thursday.
“The meeting emphasized that it is necessary… to unswervingly implement the defense strategy against importing foreign viruses,” CCTV said.
The statement echoed comments from National Health Commission (NHC) spokesman Mi Feng, who said on Saturday that China would stick to its “unwavering” policy on COVID-19.
China is dealing with the biggest wave of transmitted cases in six months, with nearly 9,000 infections reported on Thursday. During the meeting, party leaders called on local officials to adopt a “one size fits all” strategy for pandemic prevention.
The beginning of popular discontent
On Thursday, 95 new infections were reported in Beijing, where schools have been closed in the central Chaoyang district since Monday.
The zero covid policy has resulted in rare popular discontent due to food shortages and delayed medical responses for those in lockdown.
It also contributes to Chinese economic pessimism, with bad figures that follow one another in a context of global slowdown.
Source: BFM TV
