China reported its highest number of new COVID-19 infections in six months Sunday, recording 4,420 new locally transmitted infections. Just a day earlier, health officials had said the country was sticking to strict zero-Covid rules, thwarting hopes of the economy reopening. The National Health Commission reported that the number was the highest since May 6. A day earlier, 3,659 new local cases had been recorded.
The southern city of Guangzhou reported 66 new locally transmitted symptomatic and 1,259 asymptomatic cases, compared with 111 symptomatic and 635 asymptomatic cases a day before, authorities said. Beijing reported 43 symptomatic and six asymptomatic cases, compared with 37 symptomatic and five asymptomatic cases the previous day.
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Even as the rest of the world has reopened, lockdowns, quarantines and frequent testing still are the norm in China. Businesses have suffered with Apple saying Sunday that the curbs will affect the iPhone 14 shipments and people will have to wait for longer to get their devices.
At a news conference on Saturday, health officials had once again stressed on their “dynamic-clearing” approach to COVID cases as soon as they emerge.
China’s anti-COVID measures are “completely correct, as well as the most economical and effective”, said disease control official Hu Xiang. “We should adhere to the principle of putting people and lives first, and the broader strategy of preventing imports from outside and internal rebounds.”
Chinese stocks saw an uptick last week after reports of a possible easing of the COVID curbs emerged. The local media had also reported that some tweaks to policy might happen. But none of it happened.
Several experts believe that they do not expect significant easing to begin until after China’s annual parliamentary session in March.
Goldman Sachs analysts said Saturday’s announcement showed “the government still needs to keep its zero-COVID policy until all preparations are done. This may take a few months, in our view,” they wrote. Their current “baseline” expectation was for a reopening in the April-June quarter.
Meanwhile, the Beijing marathon took place on Sunday morning under strict protocols, after being cancelled the previous two years.
Around 26,000 participants registered for the event that was held in central Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Runners were required to take PCR tests for the three days leading up to the race and not to leave Beijing for seven days.
(With inputs from agencies)
