More than 2,000 tourists are stranded in a Chinese coastal city following a surge in coronavirus cases.
Authorities in Beihai sealed off urban areas and ordered mass testing of its 1.9m residents over the weekend. It comes as concerns about the impact of China’s “zero-Covid” policy on the world’s second-largest economy.
Last week, official data showed the country’s economy shrank in the second quarter of this year as Covid-19 restrictions hit firms and consumers. Beihai, a popular summer destination in China’s southern Guangxi region, recorded more than 450 infections in the five days to July 16.
Although this level of cases may seem low by international standards, it is considered high under the Chinese government’s approach to the pandemic.
On Sunday, Beihai’s local government said tourists who had not been in contact with anyone who had contracted the virus or had visited medium or high-risk areas would be eligible if they showed a negative COVID-19 test, and then they would be allowed to leave.
The rest should stay in the city and be quarantined, officials told a press conference.
On Monday, Shanghai’s local government said residents in more than half of its 16 districts would need to be tested for the virus after conducting similar tests last week.
Significant financial, trade and manufacturing centres reopened only in June after a two-month lockdown.
It is one of several large Chinese cities dealing with new infection clusters. Japanese banking giant Nomura said in a note on Monday that the COVID situation in China “has slightly worsened nationally” over the past week.
On Friday, government data showed the country’s economy shrank sharply in the second quarter of this year as widespread coronavirus lockdowns hit businesses and consumers significantly.
GDP fell 2.6% in the three months from the previous quarter to the end of June. Major cities across China, including Shanghai, were shut down entirely or partially during this period as the country continued its zero-Covid policy.
GDP is one of the most important ways to show how well or poorly an economy performs. It measures all the activities of companies, governments and individuals in an economy.
