Status: 03.01.2022 10:26 a.m.
The Chinese metropolis of Xi’an has been in lockdown for two weeks. In the meantime, the residents are apparently only allowed to go out for the corona test. Displeasure is growing, but the authorities see themselves on the right track.
The number of new infections in Xi’an is apparently falling. Authorities say their actions are taking effect. For yesterday 122 new corona cases were reported in the metropolis, the lowest number since Christmas. Nevertheless, the city is still in strict lockdown – and has been since the week before last.
Only instant noodles for days
The exit restrictions were even tightened again. Initially, one person per household was allowed to go shopping every three days. Many people in Xi’an have now apparently been told that they are only allowed to leave the house to be tested for the corona virus. Food can therefore only be ordered.
But that doesn’t seem to be going smoothly everywhere. Many on the Internet have complained that they have only been eating instant noodles for days and their orders are not arriving. It is impossible to stock up on essentials, said a woman.
The state-controlled Chinese media reported that the authorities are taking care of the 13 million people living in the metropolitan area. State television shows, among other things, how helpers in long human chains apparently pass on food to take care of the residents.
High-ranking party officials have to go
In connection with the Corona outbreak in Xi’an, two high-ranking officials of the Communist Party there have apparently been removed from their posts. According to the city administration, the move should ensure that efforts to “epidemic prevention and control” are increased, as reported by local media.
The outbreak in Xi’an with a total of more than 1500 cases is the largest in China since spring 2020. The state and party leadership is adhering to a strict zero-Covid policy in the country of origin of the corona virus. Although the number of cases of infection in the People’s Republic is comparatively low, the authorities are cracking down on new outbreaks – with exit bans, mass tests and travel restrictions.
The authorities in the Chinese capital Beijing, where the Winter Olympics are due to start in around a month, are facing particular challenges. These will take place in a bubble, completely isolated from the rest of the country.