Shanghai's Chaotic Covid Lockdown Puts Other Chinese Cities on Edge
As Shanghai's Covid-19 lockdown leaves residents struggling to access food or medical care, citizens elsewhere in China fear similar stringent measures are heading their way -- even as officials seek to assure the public they are well prepared. From a report: In the southern port city of Guangzhou, where all 18 million residents faced mandatory testing after a handful of infections were found last week, officials stressed that food and other supplies were well taken care of -- despite one local paper reporting shortages at supermarkets due to "panic buying." Meanwhile, online posts and articles about preparing for outbreaks circulated on Chinese social media -- including tips on how to store vegetables to make them last and what to prepare for stays in quarantine. Other articles talked about how cities were ensuring there would be enough supplies to cover lockdown periods. The signs of public concern come as China enters a difficult phase of its fight against the virus. Shanghai's outbreak and another in northeastern Jilin province have seen the highly transmissible Omicron BA.2 variant spread to levels never seen before in China. While the vast majority of cases in recent outbreaks have been in Jilin and Shanghai, infections have been found in some 29 provinces and municipalities. This poses a significant challenge for China's Communist Party as it remains steadfast in its "zero-Covid" commitment to eradicate the virus. And Shanghai's experience could set a precedent for increasingly harsh measures rolled out elsewhere to control Omicron, experts say.
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