Pandemic
Chinese metropolis Chengdu extends corona lockdown
21 million people live in the Chinese metropolis of Chengdu. photo
© Britta Pedersen/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB
Beijing is pursuing a strict corona policy. In the 21 million metropolis of Chengdu, a lockdown is now being extended. Residents fear a similar development as in Shanghai.
The southwest Chinese metropolis of Chengdu has extended its corona lockdown until at least Wednesday. The authorities in the 21 million metropolis said that further mass tests were required to bring the situation under control. A previously imposed four-day lockdown should have ended on Sunday.
Fears have been raised in the city that the curfew, similar to that in Shanghai, could be prolonged. China’s most important economic metropolis had also sent its population into a lockdown for a few days in April. In the end, most Shanghainese couldn’t go outside for about two months.
Around 65 million people in China are affected
In the past few weeks, lockdowns have also increased in other Chinese cities. As the Chinese business magazine “Caixin” reported on Sunday via the short message service Weibo, 33 cities in China with around 65 million inhabitants are currently affected by lockdowns or other corona restrictions.
China’s economy is suffering because Beijing does not want to move away from its strict “zero corona policy”. The aim of this is to nip any outbreak of the virus in the bud.