Armed police in Jingxi, south China, According to official media reports, four people suspected of violating Covid rules have been marched on the streets. This practice is prohibited but has reappeared in the struggle to implement the zero Covid policy.
The four men were accused of smuggling across China’s closed border. They crossed the street on Tuesday wearing protective clothing and carrying placards with their names and photos. State-owned Guangxi Daily Report The operation aims to stop “crimes related to the border.”
Public humiliation, a common practice during the Cultural Revolution, has long been banned in China. The Beijing News stated that the Jingxi incident “seriously violated the spirit of the rule of law and cannot happen again”.
Global Times Say The court and the Ministry of Public Security have issued various orders since the 1980s prohibiting criminal suspects from marching, and pointed out that now officials themselves may be punished. In February last year, after a man in Hebei Province was tied to a tree when he went out to buy cigarettes during the lockdown, the ministry issued an updated notice in February last year.
According to reports, as of Wednesday night, social media posts on the subject have received more than 350 million views and more than 30,000 comments.
Extraordinary video circulation of suspected smugglers marching publicly in southern Guangxi—a practice that reminds me of the past. Nowadays, for criminal suspects, a full set of protective clothing seems to be very common…/1 pic.twitter.com/qtKaMKrkR4
— Bill Bertels (@billbirtles) December 29, 2021
China is taking strict measures, including a complete lockdown that affects millions of citizens, in response to the increasing number of cases. The country reported 203 new daily cases on Wednesday, and Micron Technology, one of the world’s largest memory chip manufacturers, said that continued restrictions in Xi’an may cause delays in the global supply of its DRAM memory chips.
This World Health Organization At the same time, the WHO warned against reducing the Covid quarantine time because the “tsunami” of cases triggered by the Omicron variant threatens health systems around the world.
Highly spreadable variants promote we, France and Denmark A new record was set on Wednesday, and the number of global infections reported by Agence France-Presse in the seven days ending on Tuesday was 6.55 million, proving the unprecedented spread.
These figures are the highest level since the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March 2020, highlighting the rapid spread of Omicron, with tens of millions of people facing restrictions for the second year in a row, inhibiting New Year’s Eve celebrations.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “I am very worried that Omicron is more transmissible, spreading at the same time as the Delta virus, leading to a tsunami of cases.” The system brings tremendous pressure.”
Surge, currently the worst Europe, Forcing governments to walk a tightrope between implementing restrictions designed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed and the need to keep the economy and society open two years after the virus first appeared at the end of 2019.
After the announcement by the US health authorities on Monday, Spain said it would shorten the quarantine period for positive cases from 10 days to 7 days Cut the recommended isolation time in half For asymptomatic infections, 10 to 5 days.
The WHO quarantine guidelines are that for symptomatic patients, 10 days after the onset of symptoms, plus at least 3 days without symptoms; for asymptomatic cases, 10 days after a positive test.
Michael Ryan, WHO Director of Emergency Situations, said at a press conference: “There are some data that indicate that Omicron’s incubation period may be shorter, but the scope is still very wide.” “At this point, if we don’t see a huge change. , A huge move based solely on preliminary or preliminary research to reduce control measures against Covid-19, that would be desirable.
Ryan described “the trade-off between science and absolute perfection in what you are trying to do, and then the least possible damage to your economy and society-and the government is trying to find this balance.”
This weAccording to data from Johns Hopkins University, where Omicron has overwhelmed hospitals, the average 7-day record for new cases is 265,427.
Harvard epidemiologist and immunologist Michael Mina (Michael Mina) said on Twitter that due to insufficient testing, the actual number of cases may be much higher, and this number may be just the “tip of the iceberg.”
But officials pointed out that compared with previous waves, the country also seems to be experiencing a decoupling between infection and serious consequences, as evidence of lighter cases under the new variants is increasing.
France A new daily record of more than 200,000 cases was recorded-more than twice the number recorded for Christmas-and the closure of nightclubs was extended to January.
French police said that starting from Friday, Paris will once again force all people over 11 years old to wear masks outdoors, but people in cars, cyclists, and people using two-wheeled vehicles such as scooters And people who participate in sports are excluded.
DenmarkIt has the highest per capita infection rate in the world, with a new record of 23,228 new infections, which the authorities attribute in part to the extensive testing after the Christmas celebrations.
Portugal It also set a record of nearly 27,000 cases reported within 24 hours, and Lebanon There are 3,150 new infections-the highest daily record since the vaccine was introduced earlier this year.
Number of hospitalized patients infected with Covid UK Breaking through 10,000 cases, the highest total since March, because the United Kingdom has set a new record of 183,037 cases per day in the past 24 hours.
Studies have shown that Omicron, the main strain in some countries, reduces the risk of sending infected people to hospital, but WHO still urges caution.
Statistics from Agence France-Presse found that more than 5.4 million people died of Covid-19 globally, but last week, the average daily death toll was 6,450, the lowest level since October 2020.
Europe, which has recorded more than 3.5 million cases in the past 7 days, Greece Music is prohibited in bars and restaurants until January 16, including New Year’s Eve, while dancing in public places is prohibited in Cyprus.
Germany Sports competitions have been restricted, nightclubs have been closed, and private gatherings have been restricted to 10 people for vaccinations.
Mexico After the increase in cases, the city’s mayor cancelled the large-scale New Year’s Eve celebrations in the capital.
exist UkraineIn the intensive care unit in the western town of Kosif, a hospital employee lit a candle in memory of a patient who died of the virus, resulting in three deaths.
