Just when everyone in China thought it was safe to go back in the world, they’ve been hit with a second wave of the deadly virus. They were lulled into a false sense of security and now at least one province is locked down again.
False security brings second wave
A second COVID-19 wave is sweeping China’s Henan Province in spite of official propaganda claiming the battle is being won. People’s Republic authorities have “imposed travel restrictions,” according to an official document leaked to Radio Free Asia. All non-essential travel between neighboring villages and communities has been banned.
In order to enter or leave a residential compound, every citizen is “required to wear a facemask, have their temperature taken and produce a certificate to prove they are healthy,” one inhabitant relates. A neighbor added, “many people believe that the epidemic has been brought under control due to government propaganda, which is false.”
They thought it was over and let down their guard. “Basically life has gone back to the way it used to be, just with some people still choosing to wear face masks on the streets but some people stopped wearing masks too, so this news is a good thing, because it will keep people on the alert.”
A fresh nucleus of cases
Reports say, medical staff at the Jia County People’s Hospital are listed as victims. One of them only recently released from isolation after a trip to Wuhan, the global outbreak’s epicenter.
Part of the problem is the statistics are low. Chen Bingzhong, who used to be director of the Institute of Health Education, is convinced “the proportion of asymptomatic people is very low. This is wrong, but how do we prove it?”
“The most reliable way to achieve early detection is a nucleic acid test, but are these tests 100 percent reliable? No, they’re not, but they’re the most reliable method we have right now.”
Nobody can go into town
The only businesses still open are food stores and farmers’ markets. At least 600,000 people are “effectively living under curfew.” As one citizen notes, “Everything’s locked down. All households are locked down. Nobody can go into town, or if you do, you won’t be able to leave again.”
Part of the travel restrictions is a pass certifying that you’re healthy but those aren’t easy to come by. There are strict restrictions on who’s even allowed to be tested. “Not just anyone can come, you have to be on a special list,” a medical worker confirms. “You can only get it done with official approval from higher up, when we get notification from them.”
Working overtime, the hospital is cranking out “several hundred” tests a day. “We are all working overtime here in the testing division, anyway.”