Following an uptick in COVID cases, Beijing, China’s capital, has launched mass testing for its millions of residents.
The Chaoyang district reported 26 instances over the weekend, the most so far in Beijing’s current increase.
Despite government assurances that enough food is available, large lineups could be seen outside supermarkets and retailers.
It comes amid fears that Beijing could face a situation comparable to Shanghai, where 25 million people have been stranded at home for weeks.
Effect in Essential Supply
All 3.5 million residents of Chaoyang, Beijing’s most populous district, will be subjected to three rounds of mass testing, according to a notice from the city’s sickness control team.
After receiving the news, residents rushed to stock up on basic necessities, with photos circulating on social media showing supermarket shelves bare and long lineups at check-out counters.
Beijing’s largest supermarkets have extended their hours of operation to satisfy the increasing demand.
“Never thought I’d go to the market early in the morning when all the eggs and prawns were gone and all the meat had been picked up,” one Weibo user in Shanghai remarked, before adding that they were able to get some veggies.
Another Shanghai Weibo user said:
“It’s both amusing and distressing to see people in Beijing rushing to buy food… It’s as if I’m gazing back on the last month of my own life.”
Meanwhile a news organisation affiliated with the government According to the Global Times, Beijing’s fresh food producers have been told to expand their supply of meat, poultry eggs, and vegetables.
They also quoted health experts as saying that the results of the bulk testing will show whether more harsh measures, such as shutting down several places, are necessary.
As a result, according to Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of Beijing’s Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the number of cases in Beijing is projected to climb in the coming days.
Spike of Covid Cases and shortage of services
Since its discovery in late March, the newest outbreak in Shanghai has resulted in around 400,000 illnesses and 138 deaths.
Persons have been removed from their homes forcibly in order to conduct disinfection operations, and electronic door alarms have been installed to prevent sick people from fleeing.
Some residents of Shanghai’s enclaves claim they have been unable to procure food and must rely on government delivery of vegetables, meat, and eggs.
Green barriers have also been erected in parts of Shanghai without warning, thereby preventing inhabitants from leaving their homes.
Unlike many other countries, China is adopting a zero-Covid strategy, with the objective of completely eradicating the virus.
While early lockdowns were successful in keeping infection levels low, more current, more transmissible versions of the virus have proven difficult to contain.
Parts of China affected
More than 20 cities, home to more than 30 million people, are under lockdown outside of Shanghai and Beijing.
People can only enter or leave with a negative in some cities, such as Sanya in the south. A green code on China’s Covid app and a Covid test from less than 48 hours ago.
Jiangsu province, which has a population of over 80 million people, closed 129 highway toll booths and 59 service centres earlier this month.
Published By : Chittajallu H S Kumar
Edited By: Kiran MaharanaÂ
