A new record for the number of cases, the state counts six million people

The health crisis is accelerating further China. The daily number of cases COVID-19 Reaching a new record high in the country, authorities trying to stop the spread of the virus announced Thursday by implementing strict lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions.

The National Health Bureau said China recorded 31,444 cases on Wednesday, of which 27,517 were asymptomatic. These new numbers are higher than the 29,317 infections recorded in mid-April, when Shanghai – the third most populous city in the world – was under lockdown and its residents were struggling to buy food and access medical care.

Constraints are often vague and variable

Beijing has been experiencing an epidemic outbreak in recent days. Dozens of residential buildings were confined Companies are working remotely. On Wednesday, the Chinese capital announced nearly 1,500 new positive cases (the vast majority asymptomatic) for a population of 22 million. A level not seen in the city since the start of the pandemic, but still very low by international standards.

Zhengzhou, a city in central China that hosts a massive iPhone factory, on Thursday ordered six million people into confinement after an outbreak of the Covid-19 virus led to violent protests at the industrial site. In the aftermath, Zhengzhou authorities ordered a major screening campaign in many areas of the city. These neighborhoods are confined for five days from Friday midnight. It is evident that downtown residents are no longer allowed to leave the area without a negative PCR test and clearance from local authorities. They advise not to leave their homes “except when necessary”.

Schools, restaurants and shops closed again, for fear of being quarantined: a large part of Beijing’s population is now mentally exhausted by these restrictions, which are often vague and variable, and their duration is not announced in advance. The country of more than 1.4 billion people is the only major economy in the world still trying to stem the spread of the virus, locking down entire cities and putting contacts of infected patients under strict quarantine.