China reported 1,947 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said on Monday. Of the new local infections, 1,542 were reported in Jilin, 154 in Fujian, 51 in Hebei, 38 in Guangdong, 35 in Liaoning, 27 in Heilongjiang, 24 in Shanghai, 18 in Tianjin, 14 in Shaanxi, 13 in Shandong, 10 in Hunan, Xinhua reported. For other provincial-level regions, Gansu reported six cases, Beijing and Yunnan each reported four, Inner Mongolia and Zhejiang each reported two, and Jiangxi, Henan and Chongqing each reported one, as per Xinhua.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that Beijing will stick to its “zero Covid-19” policy, days after National Health Commission released new guidelines easing its control measures. China’s zero-COVID policy is pushing cash-strapped local governments to the brink amid rising health care costs and efforts to control debt.
Analysts said that the local governments in China are facing a growing financial burden to meet Beijing’s hardline zero-COVID strategy, according to a think tank, Policy Research Group. China is battling its biggest virus surge in two years and numerous cities have imposed travel bans and lockdowns, including tech hub Shenzhen, which have shaken economic stability and global supply chains.
