Recently, major cities in China’s Yangtze delta have been shut down due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Production in factories has also been suspended indefinitely in the industrial and commercial hub, while citizens locked in their homes are having difficulties accessing food and medicine.
According to the numbers released by Zhejiang Provincial authorities, from Dec. 5 to 14, Ningbo, Shaoxing, and Hangzhou have reported a total of 235 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Zhejiang authorities announced on Dec. 13 that 3 major cities in the province—Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Ningbo will be under strict travel control, preventing people from traveling in and out until March 15 next year.
Yangtze River Delta area in eastern China, where Zhejiang is situated, is an area where Chinese industrial and commercial enterprises gather.
According to mainland Chinese media China Securities Journal, due to the epidemic, cities in Zhejiang including Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Shaoxing have successively issued notices of suspension of factory production and business operations in the name of epidemic prevention. From Dec. 9–13, 16 listed companies issued announcements to suspend production, including large enterprises such as Jingsheng Electromechanical and Zhejiang Longsheng.
On Dec. 14, the Chinese language Pezou tried to contact several factories in Shangyu District of Shaoxing City, including printing plants, paper mills, and electric car factories, and no one answered. It was the same for paper mills, rubber and plastic products factories, chemical plants, and other factories in Zhenhai district, Ningbo city.
A local resident surnamed Chen in Shangyu District said that since this round of COVID-19 outbreak on Dec. 8 in the area, factories have been closed. “According to the official notice, most parts of our district are in quarantine, factories have also been shut down, and people are all isolated at home.”
Taiwanese financial expert Huang Shicong told the Chinese language Pezou on Dec. 14 that the production in Yangtze Delta being shut down by this wave of outbreak, coupled with power outages in the area, has impacted the economy, including Taiwanese-invested businesses in the area.
Pezou has obtained a video to show the COVID-19 pandemic control in the cities in Zhengjiang.
Meanwhile, in the Shangyu district of Shaoxing, residents have been under lockdown for more than a week and some are struggling to get food and medicine. Since Dec. 11, the entrances and exits of expressways, national and provincial highways, county and township roads, village (community) roads, railroad stations, and waterways entering and leaving Shangyu District have been under strict traffic control, prohibiting all vehicles and people from entering and leaving the Shangyu area.
Miao Hua (alias), a resident of Cao’e street, Shangyu district, Shaoxing city, told the Chinese language Pezou, “We have been locked in at our homes for 6 days and nobody has sent us any food or supplies or conducting door-to-door nucleic acid tests.”
“We are in urgent need of supplies. We are almost out of food. markets and supermarkets here are all closed.” Miao said.
“We have been under lockdown for the past six days. Nobody has helped us at all. We want to go back to our hometown, but the highway is closed, and it’s difficult to find food. I’m panicked.” Miao said.
Miao also said that the major concern is that there are elderly and children at home. elderly are in urgent need of medicine to treat high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. y contacted many governmental offices for help but they have all shirked responsibility. “We contacted Cao’e street and the Big Triangle Community offices, and they all said it’s not under their management.”
On Dec. 14, the Chinese language Pezou called the Cao’e sub-district office in Shangyu district about the residents in urgent need of supplies, but the staff on duty referred the reporter to other offices and then nobody answered the phone.
Gu Qing’er, Hong Ning, Lin Cenxin and Yi Ru contributed to the report.
Pezou : COVID-19 Rapidly Spreads in China’s Yangtze Delta, Causing Factories Shut Down, Residents Struggling for Food