People return to work in Beijing as China takes a step towards living with Covid
Commuters wearing masks filled the subway trains of Shanghai and Beijing on Monday as the two cities of China took a step towards living with Covid-19 as hospitals continued to swell up with millions of new coronavirus patients.
After imposing tough anti-Covid restrictions for three years, Chinese President Xi Jinping removed the zero-Covid policy, which included continuous testing and tough lockdowns, on December 7 in the aftermath of public protests and increasing outbreaks.
“Our country’s new coronavirus epidemic prevention and control is facing new situations and new tasks,” Xi was cited as saying by the Xinhua news agency, when he for the first time addressed the sudden change in China’s Covid policy.
The virus is now spreading unchecked throughout the country, with increasing doubts about statistics of Beijing, according to which no new deaths related to Covid have been reported in the last six days.
According to doctors, the number of patients has multiplied by five or six times, most of them being elder.
Meanwhile, Xinhua quoted Premier Li Keqiang as saying that the government must intensify their efforts at all levels to ensure that the demand for medical supplies and treatment is met.
“I am prepared to live with the pandemic. Lockdowns are not a long-term solution,” said Shanghai’s 25-year-old resident Lin Zixin.
WATCH| Gravitas: Wuhan Virus: India is taking no chances
To control Covid this year, Shanghai faced two months of strict lockdown till June 1. On Monday, the hustle-bustle on the road of the city sharply contrasted with the eerie silence that was spread across the city in May and April.
In the weekend, the residents of the city thronged the annual Christmas market held at Shanghai’s commercial district Bund. People also visited in large numbers Shanghai Disneyland and Beijing’s Universal Studios, and queued up, in Christmas-themed outfits, for rides.
“Now basically everyone has returned to a normal routine,” said a resident of Beijing.
(With inputs from agencies)
