What is Xi’an like, the Chinese city of 13 million inhabitants that has been confined by COVID-19

A thousand kilometers from Beijing, in Shaanxi province, is the city of Xi’an, a city of 10 thousand square kilometers that brings together more than 13 million inhabitants, the same who since midnight on Wednesday have been confined by an alarming outbreak of COVID-19.

The Chinese Government decreed quarantine in the city after registering 143 new infections in the last two weeks. This is the latest in a series of restrictions introduced in Xi’an since December 9, when the movement capacity of its inhabitants began to be limited.

ALSO READ: China confines millions as the omicron variant multiplies in the world

So far it is unknown if this spike in infections is due to the new omicron variant of the coronavirus or the also known delta variant.

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China remains on alert for the new outbreaks that are being registered in COVID-19 a few weeks after hosting the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, scheduled for February.

The first restrictions on Xi’an included the confinement of 90 residential areas, the possibility of leaving the city by train only with a letter confirming that it was an essential trip, the closure of long-distance bus stations, the suspension of 85% of flights, the closure of schools and the installation of points of disease control on the roads that surround the city.

With the measures that They came into effect at 00:00 hours on ThursdayOnly one member per family will be able to leave the house every two days to buy basic necessities; The Police have been deployed to the exits of the city, a negative PCR will be needed and the authorization of the authorities to leave it and, in addition, any type of meetings were prohibited.

These measures are part of the so-called “zero-COVID” strategy implemented by China during the pandemic, which leads to confine districts, neighborhoods or cities before a new peak of infections. However, the case of Xi’an it is particular then it is the second megacity to be quarantined, having as a precedent only Wuhan, the point of origin of the disease.

WHAT IS XI’AN LIKE?

Made up of 9 districts and 4 counties, Xi’an is mainly known for hosting the famous terracotta army, a set of more than 8 thousand figures of warriors made with clay and in life size, classified as a World Heritage Site by Unesco since 1987.

The discovery of the Terracotta Army in 1974 made Xi’an a major tourist attraction region of. However, its history is not only limited to the impressive figures created during the Qin dynasty.

Archaeological remains show that The region was inhabited at least half a million years ago and it was the center of power during the Sui, Tang and Han dynasties. In 1936, it was also the scene of the incident of Xi’an, which led to the alliance between nationalists and communists against the Japanese.

At the time, it was also the eastern end of the Silk Road, the important trade route that connected China with the Mediterranean.

CONFINED MEGACITY

Xi’an covers a total area of 9,983 square kilometers, about three times larger than Metropolitan Lima.

In the 1950s it began its transformation to become one of the most industrialized cities in China. Currently it is mainly divided between textile factories in the east, machinery in the west, aerospace technology research in the north and electronics to the south., according to the website of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

The peripheral areas, meanwhile, are mainly devoted to agriculture.

An estimated 2,560 companies from 58 different countries have offices in Xi’an, including 19 of the world’s 500 largest companies, according to Fortune.

On the other hand, it is considered an important urban transport hub, hosting a series of train and rail tracks due to its location in the center of the country.

It is also an important educational area, since it houses more than 60 universities.

All this has been paralyzed with the new confinement.

Made with Visme

COVID-19 IN CHINA

Almost two years have passed since December 31, 2019, the day on which the Municipal Health Commission of Wuhan report on a series of rare cases of pneumonia in the city. Over time, it would be known that it was caused by a new type of coronavirus, causing the COVID-19.

Since then, the disease spread throughout the world leading to the WHO officially declaring it a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

Between last year and 2021, quarantines were imposed in various countries, restrictions were implemented that limited social interaction, international travel was restricted and different vaccines were developed in record time to try to stop the disease.

However, mutations of the virus that led to new outbreaks in different territories and large waves of infections were also observed.

Next, we review on a timeline how the health emergency evolved, especially in China, the country where the disease originated and which this year registered at least 7 spikes of infections that set off alarms.

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Deshawn