China's perseverance in zero- COVID policy sparks worry among Beijing residents

BEIJING: China's escalating COVID-19 resurgence has spurred authorities to ramp up measures to contain outbreaks, sparking worries among residents in capital Beijing as more tests were carried out on Monday (November 7).

China said over the weekend that it will persevere with its "dynamic-clearing" approach to COVID-19 cases as soon as they emerge, giving little indication it would ease its outlier zero-COVID strategy nearly three years into the pandemic.

Beijing resident Chang Jiang, 45, said he used to own five companies, but now has only two left in the capital. Another Beijing resident said his girlfriend has cancelled her plans to visit him three times in the past year due to COVID restrictions.

China on Monday (November 6) reported 5,496 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the highest since May 2, when the country's largest city Shanghai was put under a crushing lockdown amid its worst outbreak.

Chinese stocks rallied last week in their biggest weekly gain in more than two years, as investors pumped a trillion dollars into the market on hopes of a reopening in the world's second-biggest economy.

But China's health authorities doused that speculation on Saturday (November 5) by reiterating that they would stay with their stringent zero-COVID policy.