Several Chinese return to regular activities, hoping to boost the economy, people in Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan braved the cold and an outbreak of Covid-19 infections on Monday.
Many of those who gathered to sled and ice skate on a frozen lake in Beijing’s Shichahai Lake Park were optimistic about the opening up after the Chinese government dropped stringent anti-virus measures on December 7.
After a strict regime of lockdowns and relentless testing, a wave of infections has since erupted nationwide.
Chinese return to regular activities
“When this lockdown is over, we won’t have to scan the health code anymore, nor will we have to verify the travel code,” said Yang, a park user who gave only his first name.
It’s nice to have our freedom back.”
As well as Zhong, a 22-year-old college student attending the lake, he said he confined to his home for two to three weeks after contracting the infection.
During the New Year’s Day holiday, he said, “I am looking forward to going around Beijing and soaking up the festive atmosphere.”
Although it was a public holiday on Monday, traffic in the capital has begun to pick up again as people flock to outdoor areas, although smaller, confined locations, such as restaurants, remain slow.
It has taken time for Beijing seafood restaurant patrons to recover to full strength, according to its owner.
It is likely that this situation will persist throughout the Lunar New Year holiday, said Chen, who gave only his surname. It’s my expectation that business will resume after the holiday.”
Wu, a man surnamed Wu, told Reuters that people were less anxious in Wuhan three years after the epidemic began.
“We are returning to normal in terms of work production, life, and entertainment,” said Wu, a private instructor.
A Lunar New Year travel guide
State broadcaster CCTV reports that 5.5 million passengers are expect to travel on the railway network during China’s biggest holiday, Lunar New Year, which begins on Jan 21 this year.
Tibet’s Potala Palace, which closed due to a Covid-19 outbreak last August, is reopening to visitors on Jan 3 after closing last August.
There are full hotel rooms for Lunar New Year at some hotels in Sanya, a tourist resort in the southern part of the country.
Media outlets have attempted to reassure the public that the Covid-19 outbreak is under control and is nearing its climax.
Research in the Chinese commercial hub Caixin
Research in the Chinese commercial hub Caixin reported that the infection epidemic in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Chongqing is about to end.
The latest estimates predict that urban regions of Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai will be the hardest hit during the latter half of January.
In southwestern Sichuan, more than 80 percent of residents have infected, according to the province’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is, however, a different story in China, where there was only one new Covid death Monday compare to the previous day.
Compared to more than 1m deaths in the United States since the pandemic began, the official death toll in Bangladesh is 5,250. It is estimate that more than 11,000 people have die in Hong Kong, a city of more than 7.4 million.
Almost 9,000 Chinese are believed to die every day due to Covid, according to health data firm Airfinity. Since December 1, there have probably been 100,000 deaths, and 18 million infections, according to the company.
A British firm, Airfinity, expects the number of Covid patients in China to peak on January 13, with 3.7 million infections per day.
It has been stated by China that it does not count deaths related to Covid unless they are caused by pneumonia or respiratory failure.
Funeral parlors in several cities have also reported rising demand in spite of the relatively low death count.
