BEIJING: Days before a crucial Communist Party meeting, local cases climbed to their highest level since August. China urged “patience” with its strict COVID regulations and cautioned against any “war-weariness.”
Many nations are figuring out how to coexist with COVID-19, but China has repeatedly denied any rumours of a relaxation in its counter-epidemic measures, which can include sealing off an entire city or locking down a local neighbourhood, even though fatalities continue to be low by global standards and symptoms, if any, are typically mild.
As the extremely contagious Omicron sub-variants BF.7 and BA.5.1.7 first arrived in mainland China and ensnared travellers over a recently completed week-long national holiday, pressure on authorities to put an end to outbreaks as soon as they start has increased.
According to estimates based on government data released on Monday, there were 1,939 locally transmitted cases registered across China on October 9, which is the largest number since August 20.
Since October 1, thousands more BF.7-related cases have been reported in Inner Mongolia, making the area China’s most recent COVID epicentre and triggering localised lockdowns that have ruined travel plans for the National Day “Golden Week” holiday.
A few days into the Golden Week, Xinjiang in western China also imposed travel restrictions as the number of cases began to rise. Authorities in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi recommended stranded tourists to look for temporary employment as cooks, electricians, and wood craftsmen.
