Beijing has reopened a mass isolation centre as authorities try to contain an outbreak of Covid-19.
The Xiaotangshan Fangcai hospital was first opened in 2003 and used again in early 2020 to treat Covid patients. Its reopening signals a ramp up in efforts by China's capital to manage the rising number of cases without going into a city-wide lockdown.
353 cases were reported by China on Wednesday. The majority of the people were in Shanghai, which has been under a weeks-long lockdown sparking widespread complaints and protests over food shortages and overzealous enforcement. Beijing reported 46 cases of Omicron on Wednesday, bringing the city's total to about 400.
Authorities raced to identify and isolated every case, regardless of severity, as the case numbers soared into the thousands. Hundreds of thousands were moved to temporary hospitals, office buildings and residential blocks. There were complaints about the bright lights, limited water and unsanitary conditions.
The Xiaotangshan hospital was reopened as a precautionary measure, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Commission. 40 medical personnel are treating 12 people with mild or no cases in an isolation unit.
Ahead of the May Day holiday, authorities imposed some community-specific lockdowns, movement restrictions, and closed entertainment and public venues. More than 150 bus routes and dozens of underground train stations will be closed from midnight due to a ban on dine-in services. Twelve of the 16 Beijing districts are conducting the second of three rounds this week, having done three mass screenings last week.
Hundreds of millions of people are under some form of full or partial lockdown in multiple cities and provinces in China. The city of Zhengzhou in Henan province has announced restrictions on movement from 4 to 10 May. There were 12 cases of symptoms and 38 cases of no symptoms on Wednesday.
China's Communist party government has a zero-covid policy, which analysts say is so entrenched in politics there is no way out. China can't reopen as its vaccination rates are too low, and the country's distribution of health resources is inequitable, according to health authorities. The strain of Omicron that is transmissible has challenged the zero- Covid playbook. Beijing authorities are hoping they acted early enough to avoid a similar crisis.
Most people are still unable to leave their housing compounds despite the lifting of the lock down in some areas. Many residents have reported cases of incompetent or overzealous health workers. There are videos on social media that show workers wearing protective suits kicking down the door of a home where the residents are still waiting for a test result. A video of mortuary workers collecting the body of a dead resident from an aged care home sparked alarm.
The official toll for deaths is far lower than believed, and there have been major concerns over the way deaths are reported. The low reporting is due to China's strict regulations on blaming Covid-19 as a cause of death when there are other factors.
The zero- Covid policy is hurting domestic consumption and factory output, disrupting key global supply chains, and Shrinking revenues for some of the biggest international brands, such as Apple, Gucci-parent Kering and Taco Bell-owner Yum China.
40% of China's output and 80% of its exports are in areas facing various degrees of restrictions, according to Capital Economics.
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