Beijing will require proof of coronavirus vaccination for the first time to access public places

The capital of China will require from next July 11 proof of vaccination against the coronavirus covid-19 to access most public places, local authorities reported in the last few hours.

The places that will require the vaccination certificate include libraries, museums, cinemas, art galleries, cultural centers, sports facilities, gyms, places of entertainment, Internet cafes and other “meeting points”.

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In major Chinese cities, Scanning a QR code has been routine for about two years at the entrance of public places to leave a record of the visit and to attest that the visitor has not tested positive in recent PCR tests or has passed through a place considered at risk in the previous 14 days.

Although these tracking applications also show whether or not the user is vaccinated, Until now, inoculation had not been a requirement to enter public spaces in Chinese cities.

The authorities’ decision comes at a time when the capital is trying to encourage vaccination among the elderly and prevent active outbreaks in various parts of the country from spreading to within its borders.

Until now, The capital of the Asian giant claims to have administered 62.5 million doses of vaccines against covid-19 among its population of about 21 million inhabitants.

According to Efe calculations based on official figures, approximately 95% of those over 60 have received at least one dose of a vaccine, although the authorities do not provide specific data on the proportion in the elderly.

The low proportion of vaccinated among the elderly has been one of the Achilles heels of the Chinese strategy of zero tolerance against coronavirus: In mid-April, when the city of Shanghai (east) was experiencing one of the most severe outbreaks in China, only about 63% of Shanghainese over 60 had received a full vaccination schedule.

The authorities of beijing They also bear in mind what happened in Hong Kong last March: the former British colony, which had kept the pandemic at bay, suffered a wave of covid starting in mid-February that caused an average of more than 100 deaths per day in that month in the city. , of 7.4 million inhabitants.

At the start of that wave, only 43% of Hong Kongers over 80, one of the most vulnerable groups, had received at least one dose of the vaccine, resulting in a sudden high mortality rate.

Contrary to other countries, older Chinese, who did not feel a sense of urgency given the low levels of infection in the country, were reluctant to receive the injection.

China continues to apply its zero covid policy, which includes strict border controls, the isolation of all those infected and their close contacts, and confinements and massive PCR testing campaigns wherever a case is detected.

By the beginning of this month, Chinese authorities had administered more than 3.4 billion doses to its population of about 1.4 billion.

According to official Chinese accounts, since the start of the pandemic, 226,300 people have been infected in the country, among whom 220,265 have managed to heal and 5,226 have died, although the total number of infected people excludes asymptomatic people.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.