An eerie calm prevailed in major Chinese cities on Sunday as people locked themselves in their homes amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the country.
China is currently battling the first of three expected waves of Covid cases this winter season, according to the country’s chief epidemiologist Wu Zunyou. There is a high probability that cases will multiply in China if citizens continue to return home in a mass transportation movement to attend the Lunar New Year holiday next month.
Still silent, no deaths reported
In the wake of a surge in Covid-19 cases, hearses carrying coffins were seen at the entrance of the designated COVID-19 crematorium in Beijing on Saturday, as workers at the city’s funeral homes appeared busier than usual, days into zero tolerance for Covid. The policy was reversed by China.
Services from package delivery to catering have recently taken a hit after the Omicron variant, which is highly transmissible, spread across Beijing. Crematoriums and funeral homes are finding it difficult to handle the increasing demand as more drivers and workers contract the virus.
Officially, China has yet to report any deaths due to Covid since December 7 when the government abruptly withdrew its zero-tolerance Covid policy after facing unprecedented protests from the people against the protocol.
Mass coronavirus testing has ended as part of the relaxation of restrictions imposed under the zero covid policy, raising questions about whether the number of officially reported cases can represent the intensity of the outbreak. On December 17, China reported around 2,097 new symptomatic Covid infections.
Empty subways were seen in photos of the city of Xian uploaded on social media, as people complained about delays in receiving their deliveries.
Shanghai authorities said schools must schedule classes online starting Monday and schools in Hangzhou have been asked to end the winter semester early.
The education bureau has ordered that students who attend online classes along with preschool children do not plan to return to school in Guangzhou.
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Addressing a news conference in Beijing on Saturday, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention chief epidemiologist Wu, according to the state media report on his speech, said there would be a spike in the current outbreak. of coronavirus this winter and will have three waves in three months.
The first wave would last from mid-December to mid-January and would mainly affect cities. The second wave would start at the end of January and continue until mid-February next year as people continue to travel before the New Year’s holiday week.
Starting on January 21, the Lunar New Year will be celebrated in China. Normally, millions of citizens go home for the holidays.
Wu said the third wave will come when people return from vacation between late February and mid-March.
According to a US-based research institute, the country may see an explosion of covid cases this week, potentially leading to the death of a million people due to covid in China by 2023.
(With agency contributions)
