China Prepares for another Coronavirus Lockdown

China may just return back to lockdown with new cases of the coronavirus on the increase since the country reopened. Barely a month ago it was reported that the city of Wuhan had discharged all its coronavirus patients.

As of May 19, the Chinese authorities sealed off the north-eastern city of Shulan, with an estimate of 700,000 people. This happened after a coronavirus outbreak and measures similar to Wuhan were imposed. In that, all villages and residential compounds were closed and only one person per household was allowed outside for only two hours to purchase essentials. In addition, residential compounds were restricted to only one exit and entrance point for emergency vehicles. If there were any confirmed cases in a community residence, no one will be permitted to enter or leave the area.

In a report by the New York Times, residents of Shulan described the lockdown as tense. A resident by the Li Ping, who works at a real estate company in Shulan was seen stocking up on essentials.

“The government’s controls now are very strict… As long as we obey and not go out, it will be all right,” she said.

The coronavirus outbreak was reclassified as ‘high risk’ after new cases emerged, all relating to a woman with unknown exposure to the virus or travel history. As a result of that, the Chinese authorities ordered the temporal closure of public places until the root of the outbreak would be identified. China Daily has referred to Shulan as “the latest pandemic hotspot in the country.” Adding that hundreds of people were under medical quarantine and that the city will not be reopened for a few weeks. 

A city in close proximity to Shulan, Jilin has also diagnosed new cases of the Covid-19 so far. Jilin is a northeast province of 27 million people, sitting near China’s borders with North Korea and Russia. While Jilin has so far reported only about 200 cases, experts still warn of the possibilities and threats of a big “explosion.”

Tens of thousands of people have been tested for the virus and thousands have been sent to the hospitals for quarantine.

“We are doing what is necessary to control and prevent the disease, and to isolate those who need to be isolated,” a government spokesperson in Shulan said.

•  Despite threats of the coronavirus resurfacing in China, the Chinese media reported that the country is capable of handling more imported cases and will begin reopening. This hasn’t left some Chinese leaders in fear surrounding the potentials of a fresh outbreak and wave of infections while the government flaunts its achievements of fighting the virus on the global stage. The fears are not limited to China alone, as governments all around the world remain uncertain about the further impact of the virus on the global economy.