In its blockade against COVID, Beijing issues sanctions and warnings

Beijing has tightened its grip on Covid-19 with the aim of preventing community transmission, penalizing workplaces that break rules or circumvent restrictions, and appeals to residents to monitor their movements.

Since the end of April, the Chinese capital of 22 million is facing dozens of new cases daily. While these have been primarily in quarantine areas, a few have been identified in the broader community, illustrating the challenge that the high transmissibility of the micron variant poses to even the world’s most stringent pandemic containment policies.

With Shanghai, China’s commercial and commercial hub, and several other mega-cities also under partial lockdown or other restrictions, the “non-proliferation” approach remains the focus of the Chinese government despite the damage to the world’s second-largest economy. and global supply chains. .

The battle against Covid in the capital was at a critical juncture, said Zhong Dongbo, Beijing’s chief health official, at a press conference on Wednesday, “like a boat sailing against the current retreat and taking risks if it does not advance.”

He added, however, that Beijing cannot come to a complete stop and needs to keep its economy running, indicating that officials do not expect full closure Shanghai style.

This week, Beijing ramped up quarantine efforts and imposed restrictions on workplace attendance, with more regions issuing work-from-home requirements or guidelines. He also cracked down on those who violated his instructions.