China Ends Month-Long Covid Lockdown In Xi’an, New Restrictions In Beijing As Cases Rise

Topline

Chinese authorities on Monday lifted a month-long pandemic lockdown in the city of Xi’an and its 13 million residents as Covid-19 cases in the region abated, ending the most stringent pandemic measure taken since the 2020 lockdown in Wuhan as part of China’s zero-Covid strategy.

Key Facts

An official announcement on the ending of restrictions was made on Monday following the resumption of commercial flights from the city a day earlier, the Associated Press reported.

According to the Chinese National Health Commission, of the 18 new local Covid-19 cases reported across China, not a single was from the Shaanxi province or its capital Xi’an.

Amid the easing of restrictions in Xi’an, officials in the capital Beijing introduced new measures to contain a growing outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the capital region, just two weeks before it is set to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The organizing committee of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Monday confirmed six new Covid-19 cases linked to the event, including four new arrivals and two people who were already part of the event’s bubble.

Additionally, six new locally transmitted cases were reported in Beijing—four of which were in the Fengtai district that has emerged as a local epicenter of infections.

On Sunday, officials began mass testing all 2.2 million residents of the Fengtai district, who were ordered not to leave the city and avoid mass gatherings.

Key Background

Despite the emergence of the highly infectious omicron variant in Beijing—which local authorities attribute to a package arriving from Canada—China has steadfastly stuck by its “zero tolerance” strategy towards Covid-19. This has largely been implemented by using swift lockdowns in areas where local transmission of the virus is detected followed by mass testing of the affected population. Last year, China managed to effectively use this strategy to prevent any outbreaks from growing larger than a few hundred cases. In addition to this, the country has been aided by a relatively high vaccine uptake with 86.2% of its 1.4 billion population being fully vaccinated. However, some have questioned the long term usefulness of such a strategy in face of the Omicron variant which is both highly transmissible and has been shown to evade vaccines.

Tangent

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing is set to begin in less than two weeks and it will operate under a  “closed loop” system. Athletes arriving in China will be required to be vaccinated or be forced to undergo a 21-day quarantine. The closed loop system intends to completely isolate everyone involved in the event from the rest of China, to prevent any possible outbreaks. This system will include dedicated transport, housing and training facilities.

Further Reading

Monthlong pandemic lockdown lifted on China’s Xi’an (Associated Press)

Beijing introduces more COVID measures as cases mount before Olympics (Reuters)