Tirsdag annonserte kinesiske myndigheter full nedstengning av Yuzhou, en by med 1,3 millioner innbyggere, etter at det ble oppdaget tre tilfeller av koronasmitte. Samtidig går nedstengningen av Xi’an, en by med ti ganger så mange innbyggere, inn i sin andre uke. Der skal det ha oppstått matmangel.

De lokale myndighetene kunngjorde at fra mandag kveld måtte alle byens innbyggere holde seg hjemme for å hindre smittespreding. Kunngjøringen kom etter at det dagene i forveien var oppdaget til sammen tre tilfeller av koronasmitte. Mat og andre nødvendige varer blir levert på døren.

Allerede før nedstengningen var alt av kollektivtrafikk, kjøpesentre, museer og turistattraksjoner stengt i byen, som ligger i Henan-provinsen.

Kina har registrert til sammen 175 nye smittetilfeller tirsdag, hvorav fem i Henan-provinsen og åtte ved en fabrikk i byen Ningbo. Selv om smittetallene i Kina er langt lavere enn mange andre steder i verden, er smitten økende og nå på et nivå man ikke har sett siden mars 2020. (NTB)

I Xi’an ble det rapportert 95 nye smittede. Det er andre dag på rad at smittetallet har gått under 100.

Xi’an, which on Dec 23 imposed strict curbs on travel within the city and leaving town, reported 95 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed clinical symptoms for Monday official data showed on Tuesday (Jan 4).

Monday also marked the second consecutive day for which Xi’an reported less than 100 local cases since Dec 24. (The Straits Times)

Kinesiske myndigheter tar alle virkemidler i bruk for å avverge negativ oppmerksomhet om faren for koronasmitte før OL begynner i februar. Nedstengningen av Xi’an har fått begrenset oppmerksomhet internasjonalt, men avisen Epoch Times er en av flere med kilder i Kina som rapporterer om matmangel og ekstreme tiltak.

But by Dec. 26, shopping for necessities was completely banned and residents across the city were not allowed to leave their homes except for COVID-19 testing. There is no immediate sign that there will be any lifting of containment measures.

Almost two years into the pandemic, doubts are growing among residents regarding the effectiveness and necessity of the government’s stringent lockdown measures.

One Xi’an resident said in an online post that they believe over 1,000 residents were taken from their homes on New Year’s Eve to a suburban area for quarantine.

They told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times on condition of anonymity that their friend was among the residents taken for quarantine, even though she had no symptoms and hadn’t left home since Dec. 17.

En overvåkingsvideo fra Xi’an som er lekket til internett har oppnådd stor spredning på sosiale medier, også i Kina. Videoen viser ifølge Epoch Times en mann som blir stoppet av sikkerhetsvakter. I hånden har han en pose med varme boller.

Another video shows a man holding a bag of steamed buns at the entrance of a compound. He was being hit by security staff. The buns scattered on the ground around him.

He could be heard saying in the video, “I don’t have any food.”

A security staffer was heard replying: “I don’t care if you don’t have any food.” Another man was heard shouting repeatedly: “You’re asking for trouble!”

The video has gone viral on Chinese social media platforms, and netizens have given the young man the nickname “brother steamed bun.”

A migrant worker, who prefers staying anonymous, told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times on Jan. 4 that he and another 17 migrant workers were most grateful to brother steamed bun. They have since received, for the first time, fresh produce from the local government—two daikon radishes, two Chinese cabbages, and several onions.

“[These vegetables are] definitely not enough for the 18 of us, but they’re better than nothing,” he told The Epoch Times. They have been trapped in Xi’an since the lockdown.

Another resident told The Epoch Times that he had received some food from the government after the video of brother steamed bun went viral.

Xi’an Lockdown Worsens, Residents Cry Out for Help on New Year’s Day (Epoch Times)

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