[北京 １１日 ロイター] – In Beijing, the capital of China, where restrictions related to the new coronavirus have been eased, many shops were closed on the 11th and it seemed calm because citizens were worried about the contagion.
China eased its tough coronavirus measures on Monday after protests erupted across the country last month, but economic activity has slowed sharply in cities already hit by the virus, such as Beijing, after the abolition of rules such as routine inspections.
Many businesses have been forced to close due to the contagion of their employees and many people are refraining from going out due to the risk of contagion.
“There are tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people infected in major cities,” epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan told state media.
In Beijing, the number of officially announced new infections plummeted as regular inspections of citizens were abolished and targeting narrowed down to health care workers. There were 1,661 new infections in the city on the 10th, down 42% from 3,974 on the 6th, the day before the government announced the easing of measures. However, the actual number of people infected is thought to be much higher.
Beijing, which is usually packed on Sundays, was quiet on Sunday, with shopping malls in the Chaoyang district quiet while many restaurants and retailers were closed.
“While the move away from zero-corona policy will eventually normalize consumer spending, the rising risk of infection will likely hold back in-person spending for months after the economy reopens,” said Mark Williams, chief Asian economist at Capital Economics. . .
