China’s recent decision to postpone the Beijing and Wuhan marathons because of concerns over Covid-19 cases has shone a light on the country’s stringent efforts to combat the coronavirus.
The Wuhan marathon had been due to be held last Sunday, while the Beijing event was scheduled for this Sunday, but the plug has been pulled on both because of rising community transmission.
By international standards, China’s coronavirus case numbers of fewer than 100 a day remain remarkably low, especially considering this is the world’s most populous nation, with 1.4 billion people.
But in a country where elimination or eradication has been the aim, multiple community cases in several provinces are a major concern.
We look at China’s approach and consider how much longer the country will continue with its strategy.
What measures is China taking to control the coronavirus?
China locked down early and restricted internal travel and, as a result, has been successful at controlling the coronavirus while allowing life to mostly return to normal.
There have been just over 125,000 cases, according to World Health Organisation data, and the death toll remains less than 6,000.
“It’s still pursuing the eradication strategy and that isn’t likely to change any time soon,” said Dr Nicholas Thomas, an associate professor at City University of Hong Kong who researches how the disease affects the region.
Today, the country is continuing to introduce localised lockdowns where necessary, while international travel in both directions remains heavily restricted.
China is increasingly concerned about the spread of the Delta variant, which has proved far tougher to contain than other forms of the virus.
This week the government imposed a strict lockdown on the city of Lanzhou, which has four million people, because of a small number of cases.
Why has China continued with an eradication strategy when its population is heavily vaccinated?
China has fully vaccinated 71 per cent of its population and partly vaccinated a further 5 per cent, according to mid-September figures, which are the most recent published by Our World in Data.
Many other countries that have rolled out vaccines to this large a share of their population have opened up or are planning to, but China has continued to enforce strict border controls.
“The problem is that the main Chinese vaccines, Sinopharm and Sinovac, aren’t very efficient against the Delta variant, which is now dominant,” said Dr Thomas.
“If China is going to open up, it needs to be giving its population booster shots that are effective against the Delta variant … They need a booster shot vaccination regime probably based on mRNA technology.”
Sinopharm and other Chinese pharmaceutical companies have been working on mRNA vaccines and, according to Chinese media reports, production at one major facility was due to begin this month.
Just because a Covid-19 vaccine uses mRNA is not a guarantee of high efficacy, though. While the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna jabs have proved highly effective, another mRNA vaccine, from CureVac, produced disappointing results.
Is there a push to open up?
With far fewer Chinese people travelling overseas for holidays, the country’s citizens have been spending their money at home. As a result, the dragon economy achieved the rare feat last year of actually growing.
“In shutting its borders, the Chinese government has promoted the development of the domestic consumer market, which has been a long-term goal,” said Dr Thomas.
“The reality is that the domestic economy hasn’t taken such a large hit, so China has been able to focus on the public health responses.”
The relatively strong economy — although there have been jitters more recently — has, said Dr Thomas, helped the government to sidestep social or political problems over its strategy, although over the coming year China may lose out on investment to other countries where border restrictions have loosened.
This may lead to pressure to live with the virus rather than eradicate it. Dr Thomas thinks a change of approach is unlikely for now, however.
“Realistically we’re looking at least until the middle of next year if not the end of next year before there are any significant changes,” he said.
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Playing records of the top 10 in 2017
How many games the top 10 have undertaken in the 2017 ATP season
1. Rafael Nadal 58 (49-9)
2. Andy Murray 35 (25-10)
3. Roger Federer 38 (35-3)
4. Stan Wawrinka 37 (26-11)
5. Novak Djokovic 40 (32-8)
6. Alexander Zverev 60 (46-14)
7. Marin Cilic 43 (29-14)
8. Dominic Thiem 60 (41-19)
9. Grigor Dimitrov 48 (34-14)
10. Kei Nishikori 43 (30-13)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
