Many cities including Shanghai, Shenzhen in China have been locked down after a new outbreak of COVID. In Shanghai alone, a total of 17 million people are currently living in lockdown. In 10 areas across the country, including Schengen, people have been ordered to stay at home at different levels. The cause of the new outbreak is believed to be an Omicron variant of the corona virus. The outbreak is concentrated in the neighboring Chinese cities of Hong Kong. China is still working on a zero covid strategy and for this reason strict restrictions like lockdown are being imposed.
In Hong Kong, the virus has caused havoc and it is causing the death of hundreds of people every day. Signs of community communication Health officials in mainland China have warned that more stringent measures may be taken. On Monday, March 14, 2,300 new cases of infection were reported across the country. On Sunday this number was 3,400, which was the highest level of new cases in two years. “Many clusters have been found in urban rural areas and in factories on a small scale. This indicates a greater danger of community communication and the need for more precaution,” official Huang Xiang told reporters in Shenzhen.
Large plastic barriers were visible at the entrance of a residential complex in photos sent by a resident of Schengen. Locals were jokingly discussing on social media how they had to run to their offices to get laptops just before the lockdown was imposed. Stocks of tech companies fell on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday. Shenzhen is home to tech companies such as iPhone maker Foxconn, Huawei and Tencent.
In Shanghai, the country’s largest city, some neighborhoods and residential areas were sealed. Officials are trying to avoid a complete lockdown for now. On Monday, 170 new cases were reported in the city, which was enough to cause concern among the traders about the economic hardships to come. In other places of the outbreak, the situation is more worrying. For two consecutive days, 1,000 new cases were reported in Jilin province in the northeast. A lockdown has been imposed in at least five cities in the province since early March.