Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced in a meeting with senior government officials that discontinuing Beijing's zero-COVID policy will not happen anytime soon. He also issued a warning against critics of the measure.
During the assembly of the seven-member politburo standing committee, China's highest decision-making body, Xi insisted that the government's response was "scientific and effective."
He also told officials to "unswervingly adhere to the general policy of dynamic zero-Covid." He emphasized that China has "won the battle to defend Wuhan," and the country will "certainly be able to win the battle to defend Shanghai." as per a translation by Bill Bishop of Sinocism in a report from The Guardian.
China is the final major economy currently dedicated to a policy of containment and elimination of the virus, despite the increasing rates of infection of the Omicron variant. Lockdowns, mass testing, and movement restrictions based on health codes have been mainly maintained throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.
There were 4,696 new cases reported in China, with 4,269 in Shanghai and 70 in Beijing. Henan province, whose capital of Zhengzhou was recently placed under lockdown, reported 79. The government decided to postpone the Asian Games, which were set to take place in Hangzhou in September. New dates will be revealed in the future, according to the Olympic Council of Asia.
Xi Sends A Message to Critics and Doubters
During his speech, Xi stated that his leadership "will resolutely struggle against all words and deeds that distort, doubt and deny our epidemic prevention policies." Furthermore, he slammed the "problems of inadequate understanding, inadequate preparation and inadequate work [and] resolutely overcome the ideas of contempt, indifference, and self-righteousness."
Health experts concur with Chinese officials that vaccination and booster rates are too low, and healthcare resources are unequally distributed across the country, which puts the country at risk if it decides to open up.
Officials of the government have defended the rigorous zero-tolerance policy, claiming that it was necessary to safeguard the vulnerable and prevent a surge in fatalities, per South China Morning Post.
Thousands of cases were reported daily in Shanghai after more than a month of lockdown, though nearly all patients were asymptomatic.
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Economists, Scientists Get Censored on Social Media
Authorities have blocked calls from mainland scientists and economists to reconsider the zero-tolerance policy. Some analysts' social media accounts got shut down when they expressed concerns about the lockdown's impact on the economy.
If Shanghai-style lockdowns persist, economists predict a worsening economic condition. By the end of the year, one analyst estimated that the thrice-weekly testing system already in place in Beijing and other cities would cost $257 billion, or 1.5% of China's GDP, in 2021.
Many Shanghai residents have resorted to social media in the last five weeks to seek assistance and vent their frustrations about severe food scarcity and lack of access to health services. According to CNN, some residents screamed and banged pots and pans from their windows, while others fought with police and health workers in the streets, an unusual sight in a country where the opposition often gets punished.
However, the latest announcement from China's senior officials makes it apparent that the government will keep relying on prompt lockdowns, mass testing, and quarantine to combat the highly communicable Omicron variant in the coming months.
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