Covid China, in Xi’an ‘punishment’ for officials for wave of infections

Lockdown and ‘punishment’ in Xi’an. Government officials sanctioned for the wave of infections in this Chinese city as the Asian giant prepares to host the Winter Olympic Games, scheduled for February 4 in Beijing. Xi’an, 13 million inhabitants, has been in lockdown since Thursday. Mass test for the population. And this morning the official Xinhua agency reports that for the authorities for the inspection of the discipline 26 people are held “responsible for the latest recovery” of the infections. Organizations of the Chinese Communist Party and units accused of “inadequate prevention” work targeted. Among the complaints, “insufficient attention to safety standards, lack of strict implementation of anti-epidemic measures and mismanagement”. From December 9 to yesterday in Xi’an there are 255 confirmed cases of local transmission of Covid-19. This morning, the National Health Commission reported 55 new cases of local transmission across China – 52 of them in Shaanxi province, where Xi’an is located – as well as 32 ‘imported’ cases and 26 related to asymptomatic patients. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the People’s Republic has confirmed 100,731 cases of Covid-19 and 4,636 deaths.