The World Health Organization (WHO) is criticizing China's Zero-COVID approach to containing the spread of the disease.
China has continued to implement its Zero-COVID policies in Shanghai and increasingly in Beijing in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus. This has resulted in people locked in their homes and communities for months on end, and has impacted the economy, manufacturing, and the supply chain due to the restrictions implemented.
During a May 10 press briefing, a question about China's implementation of its "Zero covid" policy resulted in a rebuke from the WHO Deputy Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Of the strategy, Dr. Tedros said that "we don’t think that it is sustainable" and that "I think a shift will be very important," according to a transcript of the event.
"As we all know the virus is evolving, changing its behaviors, becoming more transmissible, and with that changing behavior, changing your measures will be very important," Tedros said. "When we talk about the zero COVID strategy, we don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behavior of the virus now and what we anticipate in the future, and especially when we have now a good knowledge, understanding of the virus. When we have good tools to use, transiting into another strategy will be very important. We have discussed about this issue with Chinese experts and we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable and, considering the behavior of the virus, I think a shift will be very important."
In response to Dr. Tedros' comments, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said "In China, we have the foundation, the conditions and the capability to achieve dynamic zero-COVID. We have every confidence in winning this hard battle and making greater contributions to the united global response," according to a press release from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Globe Banner reports that China has not released Shanghai residents from a strict lockdown, and controls on the Beijing population have been steadily increasing. While there are humanitarian concerns surrounding the treatment of individuals, economic issues abound as well.
China's export growth has slowed to its weakest level in almost the last two years, reducing the value of the Chinese yuan relative to the U.S. dollar. Closed factories and a quarantined workforce have crippled manufacturing supply and demand and resulted in decreased growth forecasts for the near future.