China is ramping up Covid preparations in rural areas ahead of Lunar New Year holidays that may unleash a surge in infections across some of the country’s poorest regions.
(Bloomberg) — China is ramping up Covid preparations in rural areas ahead of Lunar New Year holidays that may unleash a surge in infections across some of the country’s poorest regions.
Local authorities must check in with vulnerable people during the festival that kicks off this weekend, including the elderly, pregnant, and those with underlying diseases, according to a notice issued by the State Council on Wednesday. Residents have also been asked to check in on their elderly neighbors, and group gatherings including dining and the traditional practice of coming together at village entrances must be limited, it said.
The central government is also set to provide more staff and medical supplies to rural communities. It’s working to equip every village clinic across the country with one oxygen concentrator — a device that delivers concentrated oxygen to patients with respiratory illness — and two pulse oximeters for free, an agriculture ministry official said at a briefing Wednesday.
Read more: Millions of Chinese Travel Home as Holiday Period Kicks Off
The measures add to a growing chorus of warnings that while life is returning to normal in some of China’s biggest cities, rural areas will likely be hit by a wave of infections during the weeklong Lunar New Year holiday. The government’s abrupt abandonment of Covid Zero last month, including scrapping travel curbs, means that millions of people are about to make the long trek home to see their families for the first time in years.
But the areas set to see an influx of visitors are also the least equipped to deal with a sudden surge in cases. Three years of Covid Zero mean hospitals and clinics have had little experience dealing with the virus, medication is in short supply and facilities are typically sparse. China could see 36,000 Covid deaths a day during the Lunar New Year holidays, according to an updated analysis from London-based research firm Airfinity Ltd.
Read more: China’s Covid Deaths Expected to Hit 36,000 a Day During Holiday
“The countryside is the key area for the current Covid epidemic prevention and control, and the task is very heavy,” said Zeng Yande, head of development and planning division under the agriculture ministry. “Medical resources in the countryside are relatively inadequate, bringing great difficulty to epidemic prevention and control.”
While rural areas brace for a wave, several officials — most recently Vice Premier Liu He this week — have declared the peak of infection has passed in some parts of the country just six weeks after the end of Covid curbs. Consumption-related industries have returned to normal, Liu said at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
The State Council’s list of instructions also urged local authorities to promote vaccination among the elderly living alone, and to provide vulnerable people with special care. Nursing homes in the countryside must have ample medical supplies and could be locked down if a severe outbreak occurs.
Organizers of funerals and weddings must separate and sanitize garbage from the event. People attending any fairs or shows must wear masks at all times. Bathrooms and corridors at venues like restaurants and internet cafes must also be regularly disinfected.
Read more: Covid Rips Through Rural China Ahead of Lunar New Year Migration
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