Beijing (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Coronavirus had hit China hard, and while it looked like China could get a breather, it seems like it’s too early to do that just yet. Tianjin, a city and municipality in China, is in the midst of another Coronavirus outbreak, making China nervous. A part of the city has been locked down to keep the outbreak contained due to the new 137 cases that were reported last week.
The new partial lockdown includes restrictions on travel, gatherings, school, as well as shutting down parts of the city. A minimum of two of the cases reported were Omicron cases, which makes it the first time Omicron has been officially reported in China.
While 137 is the official count, it’s much more likely that the actual case number is higher. A large amount of the infected is vaccinated, which would hint at a higher percentage of cases being of the more contagious Omicron variant.
Currently, most of the cases seem to be contained in the part of Tianjin called Jinnan. With the Winter Olympics right around the corner, and Tianjin’s neighboring city being Beijing, the outbreak is a big concern for China’s leaders as they attempt to contain the virus.
The good news is that unlike other parts of the world where Covid tests are limited, China has access to massive amounts of tests making routine testing a real possibility. More tests have been ordered for the city, although most of the residents have already been tested last week.
Tianjin isn’t the only Chinese city experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks. A vlog of a Chinese woman trapped in her blind date’s house due to COVID-19 outbreak restrictions and the lockdown has made its way around the internet. This happened in Zhengzhou, where a much smaller outbreak happened at the community level but the reaction to the outbreak was swift and to some drastic.
Two of China’s largest tourist attractions and events of the year – the Winter Olympics and the Spring Festival – are coming up in February, which will most likely be putting China on high alert until then. Local officials have already advised that in order to prepare for upcoming potential lockdowns in Beijing, to stock up on groceries and not to plan any near future travel.
