Beijing to test 14 million Tianjin residents to curb Omicron
The Chinese city of Tianjin has been effectively sealed off as authorities implement exit controls on its 14 million people.
The move follows 21 confirmed Covid-19 cases on Sunday and 18 on Saturday that have triggered compulsory mass testing of all the city’s residents in an attempt to maintain the country’s Covidzero policy in the face of a growing global Omicron wave. Only two Omicron cases have been confirmed so far, but authorities fear the variant may have been spreading through asymptomatic cases in the northern port city.
Chinese state media have been portraying the policy as a success after Western countries reimposed limited restrictions to curb surging Omicron case numbers, but some residents have been dismayed by ongoing lockdowns in Xian and Tianjin.
In Xian, where restrictions are stretching into their third week, residents confined to their apartments have complained about running out of food and basic supplies. The case of one pregnant woman bleeding outside a hospital sparked national outrage after she miscarried while being unable to enter the ward because her Covid-19 test status had expired. In a sign of how seriously Beijing took the growing backlash Chinese VicePremier Sun Chunlan said she was ‘‘deeply ashamed’’ by the medical shortcoming.
National Health Commission Minister Ma Xiaowei told Xinhua he was aware of the toll the measures had taken on residents.
‘‘Virus control work should be precise and considerate, and local authorities should provide a range of supportive policies to reduce the impact on people’s lives and production, and achieve the best results at the lowest possible social cost,’’ he said.
In Hong Kong, gyms and cinemas have been shut and restaurants forced to close before 6pm as the city deals with a small outbreak that authorities warn could cripple a population which is only 62 per cent vaccinated.
Public anger has been stoked by a 170-strong party for a Hong Kong’s delegate to China’s legislature, Witman Hung, which saw karaoke and tapas mix with Covid close contacts. Many of the partygoers, including 19 legislators, have been sent off to a quarantine centre at Penny’s Bay on Lantau Island. – Nine