As part of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s “zero-Covid” policy, dozens of cities have been locked down. Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first discovered, is one of them.
More than 800,000 people in one region of Wuhan have been ordered to remain at home until October 30
Zhengzhou, which is home to the world’s largest iPhone manufacturing plant, was also impacted. This comes as China reported more than 1,000 cases for the third day in a row.
Earlier this month, Mr. Xi signalled that the zero-Covid policy would not be relaxed. As of Oct. 24, 28 cities around the country were imposing some form of lockdown, with over 207 million people affected in regions responsible for nearly a quarter of China’s GDP.
Around 200 lockdowns have been instituted around the country in recent days, with the majority of them impacting neighbourhoods classified as high or medium risk. Residents are subject to varying laws depending on whether they live in a low, medium, or high-risk zone.
This week, Wuhan recorded up to 25 new cases per day, with more than 200 cases reported in the previous two weeks.
A “limited number of employees” from Foxconn, an Apple partner, have been “affected by the epidemic” in Zhengzhou, the factory said, adding that isolated personnel are being supplied with “material supplies, psychological comfort, and timely feedback.”
In-person teaching and restaurant meals were halted earlier this week in Guangzhou, a southern Chinese centre that reported 19 new viral cases on Thursday. Even more remote locations like Tibet have been affected, after video emerged earlier this week of unusual large-scale protests against tight zero-Covid policies in the regional capital Lhasa. The city has been under lockdown for nearly three months as it battles the illnesses.
Several videos on social media showed hundreds of people protesting and struggling with police. They were largely ethnic Han Chinese migrant workers, according to reports.
Though considered minor outbreaks in other parts of the world, China follows a stringent zero-Covid policy in which officials attempt to eradicate outbreaks.
The policy is being followed despite growing public frustration and fury over lockdowns and travel restrictions. As a result, the country’s economy has suffered, with GDP decreasing by 2.6% in the three months to the end of June compared to the previous quarter.