China is battling a renewed surge in infections, fueled by the Omicron BA. 2 sub-variant, also known as stealth Omicron
The epicenter of infection is the northeastern province of Jilin, on the border with North Korea and home to 24 million people. On Mar. 14, the entire province was put under lockdown—the first time the measure had been applied to a whole province since the Hubei lockdown of 2020.
The day before, the 17.5 million inhabitants of the city of Shenzhen were also told to stay home. Its outbreak has been sparked by imported cases from neighboring Hong Kong, where expertsShenzhen is an important tech hub, home to major players like Oppo, Huawei, and leading iPhone assembler Foxconn. The Apple supplier has decided toin the city until “advised by the local government.
The effect of the latest restrictions will be felt beyond China’s borders. “The lockdown measures imposed on some of the major industrial hubs like Shenzhen—that is not only going to affect the Chinese economy, it’s also the cause of disruption to the global supply chain,” says Huang Yanzhong, a senior fellow for global health at the Council of Foreign Relations.
Medical workers carry out door-to-door nucleic acid test at a residential block under restrictions to halt the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus on Mar. 14, 2022 in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.While some may havethe highly transmissible BA.2 sub-variant—now China’s predominant strain—to challenge the limits of zero-COVID, authorities are continuing to bet big on the strategy.
“Only by adhering to such an effective containment policy, can China tackle the epidemic situation immediately upon detection of cases, preventing mass infections, severe illness and deaths, and avoiding straining medical resources,”
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