Authorities have severely restricted movement in and out of Xi’an in pursuit of a “No Vivid” policy.
Beijing:
The blockaded Chinese city of Xi’an on Monday tightened its Covid-19 control measures to the “strictest” level, banning people from driving cars around town in an attempt to control the outbreak. country’s worst in 21 months.
China has stuck with a “not-so-vivid” strategy of tight border restrictions, prolonged quarantines and targeted lockdowns as Beijing prepares to welcome thousands of foreign visitors for the Winter Olympics. February.
But historic Xi’an – where 13 million residents are facing a fifth day of being confined at home – is at the heart of an outbreak that has pushed the number of daily infections nationwide to the highest number in history. from March of last year.
According to a social media account by the city government, restrictions were tightened further on Monday when Xi’an announced it would impose “the strictest social control measures”.
The northern city – home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors – recorded 150 new cases on Monday, bringing the total to about 650 as of December 9.
No vehicles are allowed on the road unless they are assisting in disease control work, the latest notice said.
Police and health officials will “strictly check” cars, and those who break the rules could face 10 days of detention and a 500 yuan ($78) fine.
Two other cities in Shaanxi province also reported a case linked to Xi’an, when authorities urged migrant workers from the city not to return home during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.
The outbreak of the rapidly spreading Delta variant has caused severe symptoms in four patients including a one-year-old child, the state-run Global Times newspaper reported.
Since shutting down the city last week, authorities have conducted mass checks and placed nearly 30,000 people under hotel quarantine.
All non-essential businesses have been closed, while each household can only send one person to buy essentials every three days.
Xi’an authorities have been criticized for perceived poor handling of the outbreak, with China’s disciplinary body last week saying 26 local officials had been punished for omissions in prevention. virus.
Authorities have severely restricted movement in and out of the city, with CCTV footage on Sunday showing trucks waiting in line at road checkpoints as workers dressed in hazmat check the health code on the driver’s mobile phone.
Since the coronavirus first appeared in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, China has largely contained the pandemic.
The country has officially recorded just two deaths in more than a year.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
