China’s Henan province has ordered its population of nearly 100 million people to get a COVID test every two days, an unprecedented move as the country battles a surge in omicron cases.
“Henan residents and workers there are obligated to provide DNA samples at least once every 48 hours,” AFP quoted a statement on the provincial administration’s website.
The authorities said that the tests would begin in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, before the end of May, to help “quickly identify potential risks”.
The statement added that residents who do not comply with these instructions will face problems in scanning the codes necessary to enter public places or use transportation.
Other regional capitals, such as Shijiazhuang in northern Hebei Province, have also taken similar measures, with Shijiazhuang saying it will start weekly COVID tests for its 11 million residents on Monday, while analysts have warned that frequent mass testing comes at a high cost to an already faltering economy.
Analysts say that if similar measures were extended to all of China, they could cost between 0.9 per cent and 2.3 per cent of China’s GDP.
It is reported that the main business center in Shanghai was closed almost completely for two months, disrupting supply chains, while the Chinese capital, Beijing, banned eating out and ordered millions to work from home.
Retail sales and factory production fell to their lowest levels in nearly two years last month, reflecting the fallout from the policy to limit the spread of the Corona virus in China.
Chinese province obliges 100 million people to take a Corona test every two days
