In the face of new corona outbreaks, China’s leadership reiterated before the Communist Party Congress that they are not shaking the country’s strict zero-Covid strategy. The party organ “People’s Daily” and the state agency Xinhua circulated on Tuesday. China is a large country with 1.4 billion people, regionally unbalanced development and a lack of medical resources. A large-scale return of the virus would have “serious effects on economic and social development”.
The problems with lockdowns, mass tests, quarantine and isolation from other countries caused by the zero-Covid policy are causing resentment among the people and are burdening the second largest economy. When the 2,300 delegates of the Communist Party meet in Beijing on Sunday for the party congress, which takes place only every five years, the pandemic will be one of the pressing issues behind the scenes. With daily infections rising again to a few hundred, tens of millions of people in China are currently in full or partial lockdown.
A better balance must be found between prevention and control on the one hand and economic and social development on the other in order to keep costs to a minimum, wrote the Volkszeitung. So far, the zero-Covid strategy has resulted in fewer cases of illness, less hospitalization and mortality, while ensuring steady economic and social development. In terms of costs, prevention is the most economical and effective, argued the “Volkszeitung”. The paper pointed to the spread of the newer, more easily transmitted virus variants and 267 million people in China over the age of 60.
