Corona pandemic in China: largest outbreak since spring

The number of new corona infections in China continues to grow rapidly, despite the zero-Covid policy. The metropolis of Guangzhou is particularly affected. A lockdown would put another brake on the economy.

Despite the strict zero-Covid policy: in China, the crown numbers continue to grow. Nearly 9,000 new infections have recently been registered nationwide. It is the largest outbreak since the spring, when Shanghai was on lockdown for two months.

By far the majority of cases are in Guangzhou, in the far south of the country. Nearly 3,000 new infections have recently been detected in the city of about 15 million inhabitants.

Millions of people in different districts of Guangzhou are already banned from leaving their homes. Schools, factories and shops are closed. Authorities have ordered mass tests. Observers expect the economic metropolis to be stuck across the city if the numbers continue to grow.

Numbers also growing in Beijing

There are also larger outbreaks in the capital Beijing and the metropolis of Chongqing, where crown numbers are also increasing.

As the rest of the world tries to live with the virus, Chinese leaders continue to adhere to a strict zero-Covid strategy, with strict containment measures for smaller outbreaks, including contact tracing using cell phone data, i travel bans and forced isolation.

No solution in sight

The coming winter and highly transmissible omicron variants make virus control more difficult than ever. The economy is increasingly damaged by strict measures. In October, Chinese producer prices fell for the first time in nearly two years. Growth for this year will be significantly lower than expected by the state and party leadership.

Hopes that the measures could be eased after the October party conference were largely dashed. There is no exit strategy from the zero Covid policy. Millions of seniors are still not fully vaccinated. There are fears that the health system will collapse if the virus spreads unchecked.