County in Xiong’an imposes ‘strictest’ steps amid outbreak

Despite the COVID-19 epidemic being “stable and controllable,” Xin’an county of Xiong’an New Area in North China’s Hebei Province has implemented the “strictest measures” to fight COVID-19 by imposing a countywide lockdown.

While there are some voices saying the lockdown is an overreaction, most show a more understanding attitude, saying the lockdown is aimed at ending the epidemic quickly, as it has reached a decisive stage that must be brought to a swift end.

According to the Xin’an government, all close contacts were quarantined after COVID-19 confirmed cases in the county were found to be closely linked with Beijing’s Xinfadi market. More than 2,100 Xin’an residents run aquatic product businesses in the Xinfadi market.

All villages and residential communities are now conducting closed-off management, and non-local residents and vehicles are no longer allowed to enter the county.

A restaurant owner in Xin’an county told the Global Times, “In previous days, we could take walks at night. Now, the lockdown is very strict, as each family can assign only one person to go out once every day to purchase supplies.”

A supermarket manager in the county told the Global Times that the purchase of daily necessities like food and vegetables has been quite stable in recent days, with no signs of panic buying, but the flow of customers is largely reduced.

To ensure that local residents better conform with the lockdown measures, the public security bureau, together with the local committee of the Communist Youth League, has recruited 80 volunteers from local schools to help them in their work.