China records highest daily COVID-19 cases since pandemic began
Despite strict restrictions, China on Wednesday recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases since the outbreak in the country in December 2019, Agence France-Presse reported. The country, with a vast population of 1.4 billion, recorded 31,454 domestic cases of the virus, as per the National Health Bureau. It said that among them, 27,517 were without symptoms.
Why does this story matter?
The virus emerged in China's Wuhan city in December 2019, engulfing the entire world. Given the country's vast population, the caseloads are relatively low in comparison with those recorded in western countries. But under China's policy of strict zero-tolerance against the virus, it has tightened the chokehold of restrictions and sent schools online, directed employees to work from home, and closed several restaurants.
Several cities in the country tighten restrictions
The recent number of infections exceeded the 29,390 cases recorded in mid-April, at the time the Shanghai megacity was under lockdown. As cases surge, beside the capital city of Beijing, several other cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chongqing have tightened restrictions. In the capital city, a negative PCR test report conducted within the last 48 hours is required to enter public places.
As the outbreak spirals, Beijing again goes online
Amid the surge in cases, Beijing authorities have said that schools across the city have shifted to online classes. The new record cases on Tuesday in the capital city were 1438, more than double the number recorded on Sunday at 621. Meanwhile, temporary hospital rooms to accommodate patients have popped up in Guangzhou.
China's new rules had signaled a shift
The outbreak followed the government's relaxation of requirements to enter China, announced earlier this month, and a simplified system to designate high-risk areas. Shijiazhuang, a city neighboring Beijing that was being tested for reopening strategies, is seen reversing its easing measures again. "The path to reopening may be slow, costly and bumpy," Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura, said in a note.
Unrelenting restrictions lead to protests in the country
The unrelenting restrictions put in place by the government have caused "fatigue and resentment" among the people in the country as the pandemic is nearing its third anniversary. The restriction led to sporadic protests in parts of the world's second-largest economy. In central China, violent protests erupted on Wednesday at Foxconn's iPhone factory, as dozens of hazmat suit-clad officials beat and chased employees.
