Authorities in China’s southern technology hub of Shenzhen have ordered strict implementation of testing and temperature checks and locked down Covid-affected building as they scramble resources to check the spread of a Covid-19 outbreak.
The city, with a population of nearly 18 million, reported 22 locally transmitted infections on Wednesday, with the daily case count inching up from single digits earlier this month.
Though the caseload is negligible by global standards, the slow uptick has pushed the Shenzhen authorities to step up vigilance, in order to comply with the central government’s “dynamic zero” policy of containing outbreaks as soon as they emerge.
Shenzhen has not ordered blanket closure of businesses or tough curbs on people’s movement, but has sealed residential compounds and buildings identified as being at higher risk.
Officials have been told to make their virus measures more targeted to avoid unnecessary disruption to the economy.
Meng Fanli, head of the city’s Communist Party, said Shenzhen will “mobilise all resources and adopt all measures to quickly eliminate the risk of a community spread, resolutely cut transmission chains and contain the outbreak as quickly as possible.”
Authorities Warn Against Negligence
In a statement published late on Wednesday, Meng also warned that the city government would sternly hold accountable officials responsible for any negligence that results in the virus spreading.
Out of Wednesday’s 22 local infections, 13 were found in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district, home to tech giants Tencent and DJI.
In March, when caseloads started to increase from the low double-digits, Shenzhen adopted one week of so-called “slow living”, during which residents underwent multiple rounds of testing and largely stayed at home, with one member of each household allowed out every few days for necessities.
That marked one of the shortest lockdowns among Covid-hit cities with populations exceeding 10 million, and softer than that in Wuhan in 2020.
Non-Essential Businesses Halted
Buses and subways in Shenzhen were shut and non-essential businesses were halted, while employees were told to work from home or from sealed campuses.
Including Shenzhen’s cases, mainland China reported 826 new local Covid cases for July 20, of which 148 were symptomatic and 678 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said on Thursday.
In the northern port city of Tianjin, another two districts, with population totalling more than 1 million, suspended various entertainment venues, following similar Covid curbs announced on Monday in two districts with over 2 million residents.
There were no new deaths, leaving the nation’s fatalities at 5,226.
As of July 20, mainland China had confirmed 228,180 cases with symptoms – including both local ones and those among international travellers – since the pandemic first struck in December 2019.
- Reuters with additional editing by Jim Pollard
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