A severe outbreak of infection in a province of 100 million people in China

If the numbers are correct, that would mean about 88.4 million people have been infected in the province, which has a population of nearly 100 million. Statistics have not been verified.

The spread of Covid-19 has been gaining momentum in China since authorities in Beijing withdrew the criticized no-contagion policy in early December. Before that, residents of the world’s most populous country had been living through lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing that have continued since the coronavirus first emerged.

The already strong spread of infection should pick up during the Chinese New Year, when millions of Chinese are expected to travel from big cities to visit relatives in smaller towns.

threatens to take countermeasures

The spread of infection has caused several countries, including Sweden, to introduce special entry rules for travelers from China. China, in turn, reacted aggressively to the measures and threatened to take countermeasures if they were not lifted.

“This has no scientific basis and some methods are totally unacceptable,” said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, last week.

The Chinese economy has been adversely affected by the lockdown, which is said to be one of the reasons the zero tolerance policy was lifted in early December.

Hear from SVT’s correspondent in China on why China has chosen to ease restrictions despite the increasing spread of infections.