As the virus spreads in China, Beijing Govt is stepping up blockades

BEIJING / SHANGHAI, May 4 (Reuters) – Beijing on Wednesday closed several metro stations and bus lanes and extended COVID-19 bans in several public places, focusing on efforts to circumvent the Shanghai rule. More than a month.

As China seeks to eliminate the virus, which is believed to have first appeared in Wuhan in late 2019, the central city of Zhengzhou has previously announced restrictions, joining dozens of large population centers under some kind of lockout.

But that uncompromising war is undermining its growth and affecting the international companies invested there, the data shows, and provoking a rare public outcry of dissatisfaction.

With dozens of new cases a day, Beijing hopes mass testing will detect and isolate the virus before it spreads. The second of 12 three-round tests in 16 city districts took place this week.

The city of 22 million people closed more than 60 subway stations and 15% of the network and 158 bus routes on Wednesday, most of them in the Seoung district, the center of Beijing’s eruption, service providers said.

Beijing officials said schools, restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues – as well as some businesses and residential buildings – would be extended beyond the April 30-May 4 Labor Day break, with no deadline. read more

Residents were encouraged to work from home from Thursday, rather than returning to offices as much as possible.

Late Tuesday, Zhengzhou, home to 12.6 million people and the factory of Apple’s iPhone maker Foxconn (2354.TW), Work from home and other Govt bans have been announced for the coming week. Foxconn said on Wednesday it would resume production there. read more

Meanwhile, a full curfew is in effect in Shanghai.

For more than a month, most people in China’s main city still could not leave their homes.

Some have benefited by temporarily easing restrictions from Sunday, when only one member of a household will be allowed to browse and shop for groceries.

The latest data shows that Shanghai has identified 63 new cases under severe sanctions, which means that there is a way to go before reaching the goal of having no cases for several days to significantly ease sanctions.

Isolation has led to cat and mouse play between auditors and social media users trying to put evidence of distress into circulation. Some have turned to blockchain technology to protect themselves from deleting videos, photos and artwork in the title. read more

Such violations are disgusting to the ruling Communist Party in the year in which President Xi Jinping is expected to assume a third leadership.

Officials say their Zero-Govt policy is aimed at saving lives, pointing to the fact that millions of people have been killed by the virus outside China, where many countries are adopting a “live with Govt” strategy amid the spread of epidemics.

But this policy affects domestic consumption and production, disrupts global distribution chains and reduces the revenues of international brands, including Apple. (AAPL.O)Gucci Parenting Kering (PRTP.PA) And Taco Bell-owner Yum China (9987.HK). read more

The capital economy estimates that COVID has spread to 40% of China’s production and 80% of its exports, while Fitch estimates that it has cut its 2022 GDP growth forecast from 4.8% to 4.3%, well below China’s official target of 5.5%.

Numerous factories have been closed following the closure of Shanghai since March. Although some are beginning to reopen, it has proven difficult to retrieve workers and untie the supply chains. read more

In the city’s lingam free trade zone, 252 companies, or 52% of the total, have been operating since May 3, Xinhua news agency reported. Officials said the workers were subsidizing the Govt inspection and providing rent relief.

International trade has also deteriorated.

A study by the Royal Bank of Canada found that one-fifth of global container vessels are stranded in ports. read more

In Shanghai port, 344 ships are waiting for stoppage, an increase of 34% over the past month. The study says it takes 74 days longer than usual to ship anything from a warehouse in China to a warehouse in the United States.

Reporting to Aizhu Chen, Hou Xiangming, Brenda Goh and the Beijing and Shanghai Bureau; Written by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Robert Brussel and John Stone Street

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