China’s ruling communist party (CCP) has locked down the world’s largest electronics market and the urban districts in its megacity Shenzhen, which is China’s economic center. Meanwhile, a Chinese think tank warned of major risks to China’s economy, calling on the authorities to change the “zero-COVID” policy to help economy.
After 11 local COVID-19 cases of the Omicron variant were officially reported by authorities in Shenzhen on Aug. 29, three of the city’s ten districts; Futian, Longgang, and Luohu, were locked down.
Futian was ranked second in its contribution to Shenzhen’s GDP in 2021, Longgang ranked third, and Luohu ranked sixth. Together, the three districts make up for more than 40 percent of Shenzhen’s GDP.
According to 2020 China census, Futian’s population is 1.55 million, Longgang district 4 million, and Luohuo district 1.14 million.
None of the 11 infected patients live in or have visited Longgang district. However, the district is still being shut down.
Production and business activities have been suspended, and all residents in the districts have been asked to get PCR testing each day for the next four days. Six subway lines and 24 subway stations have also been shut down in the city of 18 million people.
