After bruising 4-month fight, China’s two largest cities contain Covid

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After bruising 4-month fight, China’s two largest cities contain Covid

After a bruising four month fight that saw millions locked in their homes, extensive testing and restrictions on daily life that impacted every aspect of society and the economy, China s two largest cities have contained Covid 19 following a bruising four month fight.

The capital and financial hub both recorded zero new locally-transmitted Covid infections for Monday, the first time the two cities had no virus free circulating since Feb. 19. China reported just 22 cases, according to the National Health Commission.

Reaching the milestone in China's two most important cities shows that it is possible to eliminate the disease despite the arrival of the highly-contagious omicron variants that are able to evade immunity gained from vaccination.

The fight is over because of the fact that the victory came at a significant cost. At any time, a new cycle of containment could occur, triggering a new cycle of containment in either city. China hasn't been vaccinated since October, but it is still pursuing its intensive Covid Zero strategy.

To control the spread of the virus required harsh measures to root out infections and halt transmission chains. More than 25 million residents in Shanghai endured a two-month lock-down after last reported no new community cases on February 23. Targeted restrictions, extensive contact tracing and regular testing are now widespread in both cities.

The demands of the Covid Zero approach show how difficult it is for Chinese officials to stamp out the infectious pathogen for long, and underscore the risk facing the world's second largest economy.

After moving to living with it, China is awash with zero tolerance, which is isolating it from the rest of the world. The Chinese government is under huge pressure to insulate the economy from Covid Zero, especially ahead of the Communist Party Congress later this year, when President Xi Jinping is expected to secure an unprecedented third term.

Most pandemic restrictions in Beijing, which last reported zero cases on April 16, are on track to be relaxed and students will be allowed to return to in-person school on Monday. Residents are required to show a green code on a mobile app that tracks their health status, and take a Covid test every three days to enter a public venue, including restaurants, shops, and mass transportation. Even kids aged over three must be tested to play in the park.

The virus is still circulating throughout the country. Five local cases were reported for Monday by Shenzhen after the Futian district of Hong Kong was locked down for three days. All non-essential businesses have been shut down and residents have been banned from leaving their compounds.

The northern port city of Tianjin reported four Covid infections on Monday. The state media reported that they were found during regular checks of staffers working in a closed-loop system used for inbound international flights.

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