Shenzhen authorities have followed the regime’s strict zero COVID policy, but as COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the city, seven-day “closed-loop” production mode for manufacturers of economic hubs, including Apple suppliers. I ordered. This move has raised concerns about the possibility of a longer mass blockade of the factory, as it happened in Shanghai earlier this year.
Meanwhile, with the resurgence of COVID-19, while more large cities are implementing partial blockades, authorities are part of restrictions on the international movement of people and goods to ease economic pressure. I’m trying to release.
According to Yicai, a major financial media outlet in mainland China, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Industrial Information Technology has issued an official notice requesting the closure of factory areas from major manufacturers, including the top 100 industrial enterprises exporting products to the United States and Western countries. did. Affected companies include Chinese electric car maker BYD, Apple supplier Foxconn, telecommunications giant Huawei and ZTE, semiconductor chip maker SMIC, and drone maker DJI.
According to official notice, the “closed loop” production mode limits non-essential personnel to and from the factory. Internal workers are tested daily for COVID-19 and must show a negative nucleic acid test certificate issued within 24 hours before they can work. Shenzhen authorities have also repeated that local regulators “resolutely” implement Xi Jinping’s orders to achieve “Zero Corona.”
New controls in Shenzhen have rekindled concerns about the possibility of a “Shanghai blockade” that would drive tens of thousands of workers to quarantine at factories for months.
Factories of companies such as Apple supplier Quanta Computer Corp, chip maker SMIC, and Shanghai Tesla Inc. are open from late March to early June. As a result, Shanghai’s GDP fell 13.7% in the second quarter. It also disrupted the global supply chain.
Partial blockade
In Shenzhen, about 20 infections have been reported daily in the last few days. On July 26, the Shenzhen Municipal Government ordered a partial blockade in areas such as Futian, Luohu, Nanshan, Bao’an and Longgang. Shenzhen was last put under the blockade of the entire city from March 14th to 20th, and the city’s factories were closed for a week.
COVID-19 is back in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic first occurred. Local officials announced on July 27 that Jiangxia District was closed for three days due to the detection of asymptomatic infection in Jiangxia District. During the administration period, buses will be suspended, meals at restaurants, recreational facilities, clinics and farmers markets will be banned, the university will be closed and non-essential group activities will not be permitted. Official notices also require district residents not to go to other districts and prevent others from entering the district unless deemed necessary by the authorities.
Relaxing overseas travel and import restrictions
Meanwhile, the Chinese regime seeks to ease the economic pressures caused by its extreme zero-corona policies and controls by lifting some restrictions on international travel and commodity imports that have been in place since the outbreak of the pandemic. did.
Since July 26, international flights have been allowed to land in Beijing for the first time in more than two years. According to their respective websites, Lufthansa has resumed direct flights from Frankfurt to Beijing, and Air China has resumed weekly direct flights from Paris. ANA will resume weekly flights from Narita Airport in August.
Since the end of June, the quarantine period at facilities where foreign tourists are concentrated has been shortened to 7 days, and the subsequent home quarantine period has been shortened to 3 days. Nucleic acid tests are conducted regularly during the quarantine period. The Chinese government banned direct flights from outside China to Beijing in early 2020. Travelers must first land in a pre-approved city and be quarantined there before going to Beijing.
The Chinese administration also removed the COVID-19 test from “non-cold chain” food imports from low-risk countries or regions on July 22, after withdrawing the suspension of imported frozen foods in mid-July.
Previously, the Chinese government accused imported frozen foods of bringing the virus into China and claimed that some packages of imported goods were COVID-19 positive. After that, imported frozen foods were banned.
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Alex Wu is a US-based writer of The Epoch Times, focusing on Chinese society, Chinese culture, human rights and international affairs.