(Bloomberg) — Covid-19 infections in China jumped the most since the early days of the pandemic as the government looks to stem an outbreak that has seen symptomatic cases confirmed in 28 of the 31 mainland provinces.
The city of Langfang, located just 55 kilometers from Beijing, joined Shenzhen and Jilin province in imposing lockdowns as more than 45 million people are restricted from leaving their homes. International flights are being diverted from Shanghai, the Pudong district is encouraging working from home and trucking across the trucking sector is being hit by delays as drivers undergo more stringent testing requirements.
Nearly half of Hong Kong’s population has already caught Covid, according to a study, while South Korea could relax social distancing rules for private gatherings and restaurants. Vietnam has clarified the rules on Covid patients, telling them to stay at home.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 459 million; deaths top 6 million
- Vaccine Tracker: More than 11 billion doses administered
- London’s Finance Hubs Are Almost Back to Normal: Pret Index
- Serious Covid Linked to Higher Risk of Depression Months Later
- Europe Is Getting Caught by a Covid Resurgence After Rushed Exit
- Vietnam’s Tourism Restart Hobbled By Uncertain Rules, Virus Rise
Shanghai’s Pudong Encourages Work From Home (3:29 p.m. HK)
Shanghai’s Pudong district is encouraging companies to adopt flexible working arrangements as the city combats a worsening Covid outbreak.
Companies are encouraged to let employees work from home, according to a statement on Pudong government’s official WeChat account. Shanghai reported 105 local Covid cases and international flights are being diverted away from the city to ease pressure on quarantine hotels and isolation facilities.
Amazon, Walmart Orders Likely Delayed by Lockdowns (3:25 p.m. HK)
Orders placed with global e-commerce platforms from Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. may be delayed by lockdowns and restrictions in some of China’s key manufacturing hubs, according to an industry body.
Shenzhen, home to around half of all the online retail exporters in China, was locked down for at least a week on Sunday to try to contain a spreading outbreak. Its 17.5 million residents were told to work from home, with all non-essential businesses and public transport shut. In nearby Dongguan, a key hub for shoes, toys and textiles, factories in areas where there are virus cases have been told to close, and schools and restaurants are effectively shuttered.
“Shenzhen now has pressed the pause key, with operations halted for almost all sectors, and we are no exception,” said Wang Xin, head of the Shenzhen Cross-Border E-Commerce Association. Wang’s organization represents some 3,000 exporters in the city, China’s main tech hub.
China’s Crackdown Sees Trucking Operations Hit by Delays (1:59 p.m. HK)
Trucking operations across China are being delayed by more stringent testing for drivers, as local authorities attempt to control new outbreaks under the nation’s Covid Zero policy.
The operational efficiency of trucking services at major port cities including Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Qingdao and Tianjin is expected to be significantly reduced due to the crackdown, AP Moller-Maersk A/S said in an advisory on Monday. Even inland ports along the Yangtze river and in the west Pearl River Delta won’t be spared, the Danish transport giant said.
Nearly Half of H.K. Population Already Has Covid: Study (1:14 p.m.)
About half of Hong Kong’s 7.4 million people have already been infected with Covid-19, according to an estimate of the damage caused by the deadly omicron wave that’s overwhelmed the city.
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong determined that about 3.6 million Hong Kongers caught the disease through March 14. That’s up from an estimated 1.8 million infections they concluded had developed through March 7 based on disease modeling and an in-depth analysis of the ongoing outbreak.
While the current wave peaked on March 4, many more people will catch Covid before it ends, the researchers said. The total is likely to reach about 4.5 million, they said. More than 5,100 people will die from Covid by May 1, the researchers forecast, up from an earlier estimate of about 5,010.
Philippines Says Economy Can Endure ‘Temporary’ Global Headwinds (12:59 a.m. HK)
The Philippines economy is on track to hit 2022 growth forecast of 7%-9% despite global headwinds including Russian invasion of Ukraine, Economic Planning Secretary Karl Chua said.
Current global tension is “temporary in nature” and the economy can withstand it, Chua told a virtual forum, adding that the impact will mainly be on commodity prices, financial markets and trade.
South Korea May Lift Limit on Restaurant Hours: Munhwa (12:11 p.m HK)
South Korean authorities are discussing an easing of social distancing measures including lifting the limit on people in private gatherings and allowing cafes and restaurants to stay open later, Munhwa Ilbo newspaper says, citing an unidentified government official.
Under current rules, restaurants and cafes are allowed to operate through 11 p.m. while private gatherings of up to 6 people are allowed. The government could announce that the new rules would be effective from March 21, after existing measures expire, the newspaper said.
Vietnam Says Covid Patients Are Not to Leave Homes (11:08 a.m. HK)
Vietnam’s health ministry clarified its guidelines for Covid-19 patients and said they must not leave their homes and should avoid leaving quarantine rooms.
Patients that leave isolation rooms must wear masks and practice social distancing, according to a statement on the ministry’s website. The announcement comes after the ministry on Monday issued a statement that virus patients may leave isolation but should wear masks and practice social distancing.
China Expects Regional Lockdowns to Affect Local Economic Recovery (10:47 a.m. HK)
China expects the lockdowns it has imposed in some regions to contain the latest Covid-19 outbreak will affect local economic recovery.
The impact will be gradually restrained, Fu Linghui, a spokesman for the National Bureau of Statistics, told a briefing on Tuesday. Enterprises face rising pressure from higher costs and the foundations for economic recovery are not solid yet.
Why China Is Sticking With Its Covid Zero Strategy: QuickTake
China Reports Over 5,000 Cases as More Cities Locked Down (9:23 a.m. HK)
China saw more than 5,000 new Covid-19 infections for the first time since the early days of the pandemic, as outbreaks of the highly contagious omicron variant see officials lock down more cities and impose restrictions.
The were a total 5,154 new cases, of which 1,647 are asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said. While not a large number if compared globally, it’s a significant tally for China which has kept cases low for most of the past two years through a strict Covid Zero strategy that is now being challenged.
More than 4,000 of those infections were in the northeastern province of Jilin, bordering Russia. The region of some 24 million residents was locked down on Monday to try and stymie what has become an explosive outbreak by China standards. Langfang was locked down early Tuesday, following on from the shut down of tech hub Shenzhen on Sunday, the most significant Chinese city yet to be subject to movement restrictions.
China Lockdowns Hit Production for Toyota, VW to Apple Suppliers (7:17 a.m. HK)
Lockdowns aimed at stemming the spread of Covid-19 in China are disrupting the operations of a raft of businesses, with more than 40 million people restricted from leaving their homes as the country faces the biggest challenge to its pandemic containment efforts yet.
Key Apple supplier Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. said it was halting production at its sites in Shenzhen, the southern technology hub that was locked down with little notice on Sunday, its public transport networks halted and 17.5 million residents ordered to limit their movements.
Unimicron Technology Corp., a maker of printed circuit-boards, also suspended output in Shenzhen, and BYD Co., the Shenzhen-based car and battery maker backed by Warren Buffett, said it was seeing some impact on production. The lockdown, China’s first of a so-called tier-one city, is expected to last until at least March 20, with three rounds of mass testing planned to root out cases.
Japan Plans to End Covid-19 Measures in Tokyo, Sankei Says (6:58 a.m. HK)
The Japanese government plans to lift Covid-19 quasi-emergency measures in Tokyo and 16 other prefectures when they expire on March 21, the Sankei newspaper reports, citing several unidentified officials.
Daily infections are slowing and the government sees strain on medical capacity easing as booster shots among elderly people progress. It’s still undecided on whether to end the Covid-19 measures in Osaka prefecture, Sankei said.
U.K. to Scrap Pandemic Rules on International Travel This Week (1:32 a.m. HK)
Boris Johnson’s U.K. government will scrap the remaining coronavirus-related restrictions on international travel from the end of this week, marking the end of nearly two years of measures.
Although the harshest rules had already been lifted, the move will be welcomed by the aviation and tourism industry who blame the measures as acting as a deterrent to travel.
Currently people arriving in England who have not yet had a Covid-19 vaccine must take a test before arrival, while all passengers need to fill in a passenger locater form. Both requirements will be dropped from Friday morning.
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