The current global pandemic is still very serious, so prevention and control work should not be relaxed, said the head of state.
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(Photo: AP)
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Peking Despite the lockdown in cities with millions of people like Shanghai and economic damage, Chinese President Xi Jinping is sticking to the strict zero Covid course. “We must continue to put people above everything, life above everything,” Xi said during a visit to the southern island of Hainan, state media reported on Thursday. “The current global pandemic is still very serious, we must not let up in the prevention and control work. Perseverance brings victory.”
At the heart of the fight against the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant is the financial metropolis of Shanghai, where most of the 26 million residents have been in lockdown for over two weeks now. As a result, many are becoming dissatisfied with the tough course. Nevertheless, the number of new infections reported there has continued to rise, to almost 28,000, according to the authorities.
The China Center for Disease Control and Prevention previously posted home quarantine guidance on social media, raising hopes of a change in the strict policy.
So far, even people with asymptomatic or very mild cases have had to quarantine in central facilities, where many people have complained of poor conditions.
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The new guideline for quarantining at home in a well-ventilated room with masks, disinfectants and other utensils gives many Chinese hope that regulations in state institutions could be relaxed. However, when asked by a social media user in an online comment who might be eligible for home quarantine, the authority referred to the old rules.
Chinese central bank to help
The authorities in Shanghai also gave no indication of a change in strategy. The rising case numbers are partly due to a backlog in test results, an official said – but also because transmission between family members continues.
At the heart of the struggle is the financial metropolis, where most of the 26 million residents have been in lockdown for over two weeks now.
(Photo: Reuters)
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The Chinese central bank will rush to the rescue of the domestic economy weighed down by the war in Ukraine and corona outbreaks. State media reported after a cabinet meeting that it would reduce the banks’ minimum reserve ratios in good time and also use other monetary policy instruments.
The central bank had already lowered the reserve ratio twice last year – and thus reduced the amount that banks have to hold as minimum reserves. The lower this rate, the more loans the financial institutions can grant. Lower interest rates are therefore also in prospect.
More: Dissatisfaction with the zero-Covid strategy is growing in Shanghai
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