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Source: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/china-s-...oubt-1.1849190
China’s Covid Curbs Return as Deaths Emerge, Casting Reopening Into Doubt
Bloomberg News, Bloomberg News\
(Bloomberg) -- Barely a week in, China’s lighter-touch Covid Zero policy is already running into trouble.
Surging infections are threatening to overwhelm some of the country’s biggest and most important cities, with local officials stymied over how to control the contagion without the usual tools of mass citywide testing and snap lockdowns. Three Covid deaths in the capital of Beijing, the first in more than six months, provided a reality check for the population that’s been shielded from the pathogen by the stringent approach.
The virus is creating a make-or-break moment for China’s leaders, who must decided whether to accept the rising case count that ultimately inundated every other major country or revert to the tried-and-true control measures that have put a stranglehold on their economy.
There are early indications of a relapse into the strict zero tolerance approach in hard-hit areas, as local officials panic over surging case counts, particularly as cold weather nears.
The problem is that local officials are being asked to reach two contradictory goals, with little guidance on how. People’s Daily, the flagship newspaper of the state media, laid out the task in its latest commentary on Monday, saying China must end its excessive, one-size fits all approach, while also avoiding an irresponsible exit.
That’s mission impossible, said Huang Yanzhong, a senior fellow for global health at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. Local officials are becoming more confused, he said.
“They knew very clearly in the past that they need to get cases to zero,” Huang said. “Now they don’t know what to do and find themselves in a dilemma.” ...
China’s Covid Curbs Return as Deaths Emerge, Casting Reopening Into Doubt
Bloomberg News, Bloomberg News\
(Bloomberg) -- Barely a week in, China’s lighter-touch Covid Zero policy is already running into trouble.
Surging infections are threatening to overwhelm some of the country’s biggest and most important cities, with local officials stymied over how to control the contagion without the usual tools of mass citywide testing and snap lockdowns. Three Covid deaths in the capital of Beijing, the first in more than six months, provided a reality check for the population that’s been shielded from the pathogen by the stringent approach.
The virus is creating a make-or-break moment for China’s leaders, who must decided whether to accept the rising case count that ultimately inundated every other major country or revert to the tried-and-true control measures that have put a stranglehold on their economy.
There are early indications of a relapse into the strict zero tolerance approach in hard-hit areas, as local officials panic over surging case counts, particularly as cold weather nears.
The problem is that local officials are being asked to reach two contradictory goals, with little guidance on how. People’s Daily, the flagship newspaper of the state media, laid out the task in its latest commentary on Monday, saying China must end its excessive, one-size fits all approach, while also avoiding an irresponsible exit.
That’s mission impossible, said Huang Yanzhong, a senior fellow for global health at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. Local officials are becoming more confused, he said.
“They knew very clearly in the past that they need to get cases to zero,” Huang said. “Now they don’t know what to do and find themselves in a dilemma.” ...