BEIJING, Nov 20 (Reuters) – The number of new coronavirus cases in China remained near its highest since April on Sunday as many shops and restaurants in Beijing’s most populous district closed their doors and schools in the area said there will be no classes for next week.
China grapples with outbreaks of COVID-19 in cities across the country, including Guangzhou and Chongqing, as it tries to ease the impact of harsh containment measures that are dragging down the economy and fueling frustration among the people tired of lockdowns, quarantines and other disruptions.
China recorded 24,435 new COVID-19 infections for Nov. 19 on Sunday, down slightly from the previous day’s 24,473 cases but close to the highs recorded in April, when Shanghai, the country’s largest city, was hit, plunged in an outbreak that resulted in a total prison sentence of two months.
Authorities also said an 87-year-old man from Beijing became the first official death from COVID-19 since May 26, bringing the number of coronavirus deaths in China to 5,227.
Though official infection numbers are low by world standards, China is trying to end all contagion chains with a zero COVID-19 policy making it an outlier worldwide after nearly three years of a pandemic.
Many Beijing residents have rushed to stock up on food and some delivery services have been delayed after the city urged residents of the Chaoyang district, home to nearly 3.5 million people, as well as embassies and offices, to stay home on weekends.
Parents of the district’s international schools were told that classes would be online for next week: “As COVID-19 has spread to more places and with complex transmission chains, schools in the Chaoyang district will switch to teach the online classes,” an ad said.
Under a series of measures unveiled this month, health officials have tried to be more selective in applying COVID-19-related brakes, stoking investor hopes for further easing as China enters its first winter of combating the highly transmissible omicron variant.
China continues to reaffirm its commitment to zero COVID-19, a flagship policy by President Xi Jinping that the central government says saves lives. Many analysts expect significant easing to begin as early as March or April.
Experts warn that a full reopening requires a massive vaccination booster effort and would also require a shift in messaging in a country where COVID-19 remains widely feared.
(Reporting by Sophie Yu and Tony Munroe; Spanish editing by Javier Leira)
