Security personnel wearing protective suits are walking inside a locked-down area to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Xi'an, Shanxi Province, China. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Residents of Xi'an, Shanxi Province, China, are suffering from shortages of food and daily necessities following a full city lockdown.
According to China's Twitter-like platform Weibo on the 2nd (local time), since the city was locked down on the 23rd due to the authorities' ultra-strong quarantine measures, the hashtag 'Xi'an food purchase difficulties' has been trending daily.
Most of them complained that basic living supplies, including food, were not being delivered on time.
One netizen shared a photo of bread, saying, "If I eat this bread, only one piece will be left. I never thought I would worry about food."
Another netizen said, "Even if I order food online, delivery workers cannot enter, so they leave the food at the village entrance on the street," adding, "Since we cannot step outside the house at all, we cannot even bring the food they left inside."
Some criticized the situation by comparing it to Wuhan, where the first COVID-19 patient was reported. A resident of Xi'an said, "Even in Wuhan, which was mentioned as the epicenter of COVID-19, there was no shortage of food," pointing out, "This problem reflects the difference in crisis management levels of local governments."
They also lamented, "News claiming that food and supplies in Xi'an are sufficient is fake news," and "Residents cannot go outside their homes and have no way to receive supplies."
Complaints are also pouring in about the authorities supplying uniform food regardless of family size. One resident said, "The authorities provide a fixed amount regardless of family size," and "Some students, lacking food, are offering online tutoring to other family students in exchange for food."
In Xi'an, Shanxi Province, China, where the entire city is locked down due to the spread of COVID-19, citizens are lining up in front of a testing site, waiting their turn to undergo nucleic acid testing for COVID-19. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Earlier, after a cluster infection occurred on the 9th of last month, Xi'an was fully locked down from the 23rd of the same month, banning the outings of 13 million residents.
In China, the complete lockdown of a mega-city with a population around 10 million is the third case following Wuhan (11 million) last year and Shijiazhuang (11 million) earlier this year.
Currently, in Xi'an, only one person per household can go out once every three days to buy basic necessities. This is a stricter quarantine measure compared to the previous allowance of going out once every two days.
Meanwhile, China is on high alert as cluster infections have occurred in Zhejiang Province and Henan Province.
According to the National Health Commission of China on the 2nd, Ningbo in Zhejiang Province recorded 7 confirmed cases in one day, indicating a cluster infection.
Also, in Luoyang, Henan Province, 8 people tested positive for COVID-19.
Chinese quarantine authorities have identified one of them as a confirmed case after initial investigation and are conducting further investigations on the remaining seven.
After the confirmed cases appeared in Ningbo, all flights to Beijing were canceled. Additionally, starting from the 2nd, all passengers on flights and trains are required to submit a COVID-19 negative test certificate issued within 48 hours.
Authorities in Luoyang also elevated two areas to medium-risk zones based on the movements of confirmed COVID-19 patients and implemented lockdown-style management.
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