In China, roughly 108 million in the country’s northeast region face renewed lockdown restrictions after a growing cluster of COVID-19 infections causes widespread panic and backslide. After reopening public spaces and allowing residents to move about, cities in the Jilin province have abruptly returned to previous lockdown protocol, cutting off trains and buses, shutting down schools, and quarantining tens of thousands. The moves have caused panic in many residents who believed the worst of the epidemic was over.
Although the new cluster of infections in Jilin remains at 34 cases and is not spreading as quickly as the original outbreak in Wuhan, China’s powerful reaction to the small group of infections reflects its fear in a second wave. China originally curbed the virus’s spread, however, not without significant social and economic cost. This move may also signify how fragile the re-opening process will be in China and other heavily impacted countries.
Read More: Over 100 Million in China’s Northeast Face Renewed Lockdown
