SHANGHAI\/BEIJING:
\nBeijing and several other major cities in China reported record COVID-19 infections on Monday, putting authorities under more pressure to quell outbreaks quickly while also trying to reduce the impact on people\u2019s lives and on economic activity.
\nNationwide, 16,072 new locally transmitted cases were reported by the National Health Commission, up from 14,761 on Sunday and the highest in China since April 25, when Shanghai was battling with its most serious outbreak.
\nBeijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Zhengzhou all recorded their worst day so far, though in the case of the capital the tally was few hundred cases, while the other cities were counting in thousands.
\nThe case load is very small compared with infection levels encountered in other countries, but China\u2019s insistence on clearing outbreaks as soon as they emerge under its zero-COVID policy has increased the impact on communities and on the economy.
\nOn Friday, the National Health Commission updated its COVID rules in the most significant easing of curbs to date, describing the changes as an \u201coptimisation\u201d of its measures to soften the impact on people\u2019s lives.
\nWhile individuals, neighbourhoods and public spaces could still be subject to lockdowns to prevent outbreaks spreading, the commission relaxed some measures, including shortening quarantine time for close contacts.
\nSecondary close contacts are no longer identified and put into isolation – a major inconvenience for people caught up in contact-tracing efforts when a case is found.
\nAreas deemed at risk of wider outbreaks are now categorised as \u201chigh\u201d and \u201clow\u201d – eliminating a \u201cmedium\u201d category in a bid to minimise the number of people caught up in control measures.
\nWHEN TO REOPEN
\nDespite the loosening of curbs, many experts say the measures are incremental, with some predicting that China is unlikely to begin reopening until after the March session of parliament, at the earliest.
\n\u201cCurrently COVID cases are rising in major cities such as Guangzhou and Chongqing, and zero-COVID policy continues, suggesting down-side risks to the near-term growth outlook,\u201d said analysts at U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs in a note on Monday.
\nAccording to Goldman Sachs, \u201cthe government is likely to start China\u2019s final exit from over three years of zero-COVID policy\u201d after the parliamentary sessions in March, assuming all medical and communication preparations are done.
\nShares of consumer staples remained subdued on Monday, while stocks in tourism and transport slumped as domestic COVID cases surged and some investors booked profits on previous COVID easing bets.
\nBeijing reported 407 cases on Monday, compared with 235 the previous day.
\nIn the southern city of Guangzhou new locally transmitted cases hit a fresh high of 4,065, compared with 3,653 a day before.
\nMajor manufacturing hub Zhengzhou in central China reported 2,981 new infections versus 2,642 a day prior.
\nChongqing, a southwestern city of more than 32 million people, also saw a jump in cases to 2,297 compared with 1,820 the previous day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SHANGHAI\/BEIJING: Beijing and several other major cities in China reported record COVID-19 infections on Monday, putting authorities under more pressure to quell outbreaks quickly while also trying to reduce the impact on people\u2019s lives and on economic activity. Nationwide, 16,072 new locally transmitted cases were reported by the National Health Commission, up from 14,761 on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-295239","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n