Corona Virus: Extending Shanghai’s lockdown to the entire city

And the number of new cases of infection daily in Shanghai reaches 13,000, which is not a huge number compared to global standards.

Residents of the city confirm that the strict measures include not allowing anyone to leave their residence, or the area in which they live, even for the purpose of searching for basic items.

The operations of ordering water and food via the Internet are facing major problems, due to the policy of determining the roles followed by the government, and because of the disruption of supply chains, and the shortage of workers in the delivery chains.

Stephen McDonnell analysis

BBC correspondent in China

It can be said that the policy of zero tolerance for the emergence of any new Corona infections in China is experiencing difficulties in the face of the current conditions.

China has previously imposed closures, but they were not on this scale, nor in a city of such economic importance.

The challenge arises due to keeping 25 million people, including some of the workers, in their homes, and dispensing with their work roles, in addition to delivering the materials needed for their living to the doors of their homes.

Social media is witnessing here, a state of anger among residents, who complain that they are unable to order food, because the delivery system is completely broken.

As for the isolation centers in the city, most of them contain only camping beds, and no places for washing, as they are teeming with the injured.

One of Chinas most trusted media outlets, Caixin TV, said people who had direct contact with the infected would be transferred to neighboring provinces, which could include hundreds of thousands of Shanghai residents.

The policy of zero tolerance or “zero infections” has become a slogan for China, which seeks to eliminate the virus completely, while the Chinese government mocks the behavior of other countries that it said, sacrificing the lives of its citizens, on the altar of restarting the economy.

Health professionals are trying to inform people that for a vaccinated person, infection with Omicron, for the most part, will not require him to go to the hospital, and he will be able to stay at home until he recovers fully.

It seems that only a few Chinese know this, officials, keep this information, hidden from the majority of citizens.

Therefore, the policy of closure continues, not in Shanghai alone, but there is the city of Jilin, which has 3.6 million people, Chunchun, which has 9 million people, and Shouzhou, where 9 million people also live, in addition to Tangshan, which has nearly 8 million people, And several other cities, and villages keep their residents inside, and do not allow them to leave.

Consequently, the effects on citizens and the economy will be significant, even enormous.

Zero Tolerance or “Zero Injury” Policy

Shanghai is the test of the “zero injuries” policy, amid the anger among the population due to the harsh isolation measures.

This Chinese policy is the prominent difference between Beijing and the rest of the world, which is trying to coexist with the Corona virus.

But the rapid spread of the Omicron strain, and its less severe symptoms, raise more questions about the feasibility of China continuing this policy, in the long term.

“Currently, the Shanghai health authorities are standing at the most difficult and dangerous stage,” said Wu Qianyu, an official within the local health authority in Shanghai.

He added, “We must adhere to public policies, and continue the purge in a practical manner, without hesitation or delay.”

At least 38,000 people were transferred from other provinces to Shanghai, in what local media described as the largest medical operation in the country, since the closure of the city of Wuhan, where the virus originated, in early 2020.