Beijing authorities' plan to conduct mass testing on the region's roughly 20 million population has sparked panic buying among residents as the fear of another outbreak could result in stringent lockdown restrictions.
There were growing lines of people waiting to be screened for the coronavirus infection on Tuesday after the Chinese capital ramped up its plans for mass testing. The situation worried people in the area that another lockdown could be imposed to curb the spread of the health crisis.
Panic Buying in China
Comparing Beijing to Shanghai, where more than 1,000 coronavirus cases were reported in March before the restrictions were put in place on the 26 million residents, many residents in Beijing flocked to supermarkets to stock up on food and supplies. They feared that sudden localized lockdowns could prevent them from acquiring various necessities or goods.
On Tuesday, Chinese authorities started to close some gyms, theaters, and tourist sites only a day after Beijing began testing residents of the country's most populous district, Chaoyang. By the end of Monday, the capital announced that it was planning to test 10 other districts and one economic development zone by Saturday, as per the Times of India.
The situation comes as Shanghai authorities have reported 51 deaths in relation to the coronavirus infection, which is the highest tally yet. The region also recorded 2,472 symptomatic cases, which is a jump from the previous 1,401 reported on Saturday.
Many photographs and video footage of residents have gone viral on social media platforms showing people making pleas to the government. In an interview, one foreigner whose residential complex was fenced said that no one was able to get out. They shared that they felt helpless and were unsure of when the lockdown was going to end.
According to Yahoo News, a professor at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Zhong Hongjun, said that he regrets supporting the government's zero-COVID policy. Now, he has called the measures that authorities are imposing "inhumane."
Coronavirus Situation
The Beijing municipal government ordered that nearly every single resident in the city would have to have three P.C.R. tests for the coronavirus over five days. Authorities made the announcement after 70 coronavirus infections were recorded in the region since Friday.
Chaoyang ordered on Sunday that all of its residents, which number roughly 3.5 million, were required to get tested on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The country's national government has relied heavily on lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus despite their high social and economic costs.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has committed to his zero-COVID strategy to eliminate the spread of the virus. Many residents have seen that mass testing has become a prelude in nearly all Chinese cities.
The Communist Party had ordered that the crowded nation's capital should be free of the coronavirus. If the authorities decide to enforce stringent restrictions in Beijing, they would add to the political and economic pressures that are already weighing down on Xi's government, the New York Times reported.
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