Xian Strives to Reduce COVID-19 Cases in Worst Outbreak in China This Year

The Xian Industrial and Technology Center in China reported more than 100 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing its count of locally transmitted infections to the highest of any Chinese city this year.

Xian reported 155 new local cases by December 29, official data showed. That brings its number of local infections to more than 1,100 since the outbreak began on Dec. 9 and forced authorities to isolate the city of 13 million people.

Despite the low case count compared to clusters in many cities around the world, Xian officials have imposed strict restrictions on travel in and out of the city since December 23, as Beijing requires that each outbreak contain himself quickly.

“Xian has reached a stage of life and death in its fight against the virus,” said Zhang Fenghu, a city government official, on Wednesday.

Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology, two of the world’s largest memory chip makers, warned that the isolation could affect their manufacturing bases in the area.

Authorities have embarked on multiple rounds of tests across the city to trace the transmissions. A sixth round began on Thursday. Many residents have been prohibited from leaving their homes unless they are to take COVID-19 tests or attend essential matters approved by the authorities.

The Xian police have dispatched personnel to each residential complex to ensure that the COVID protocols are properly implemented, an official said on Thursday.

Restrictions have limited access to daily activities and many people are unable to shop, leaving them dependent on deliveries.

But there has also been a staff shortage among companies involved in supply deliveries, and the government was working to solve the problem, a Xian official said.

Wuhan Anniversary

A Xian resident surnamed He stated that she tried to order groceries on the Alibaba-backed supermarket chain Freshippo’s online app, but failed to secure many items, such as potatoes and cucumber.

The app posted a message under many items that said, “Delivery staff is unavailable,” according to a screenshot it provided.

Several city districts have arranged for free grocery delivery to some residential complexes, state media said. A spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said that the supply of basic necessities in Xian is sufficient.

Xian’s lockdown, now in its eighth day, coincides with the second anniversary of the first signs of the coronavirus epidemic that emerged in the central city of Wuhan.

Wuhan health authorities reported in an advisory issued on December 30, 2019 that some pneumonia patients were affected by a disease of “unknown cause,” according to state media.

On Thursday, thousands of people left messages on the social media account of the late whistleblower of the COVID-19 Li Wenliang, who was one of the first doctors to warn of the possibility of a new pneumonia-causing virus in Wuhan.