China calls for mass Covid-19 testing, but it could burden local governments

Frequent testing has become an expensive approach in the face of highly contagious Omicron variants

The cost of a year of mass screening in all first- and second-tier cities could top US$208 billion, according to one estimate

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Residents line up to register for routine Covid-19 swabs at a testing site in Beijing on Monday. Photo: AP

Published: 8:35pm, 9 Sep 2022Updated: 8:55pm, 9 Sep 2022

China has stepped up its zero-Covid response by asking cities – even those without an outbreak – to conduct regular mass testing as an important Communist Party meeting approaches, but it could be a costly measure that will further burden local government coffers.

The measure comes amid intensified lockdowns and stricter domestic travel restrictions that have been ordered to last through the party’s twice-a-decade national congress in mid-October, when President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a third term and lay out a series of policies to steer the country’s development for the next five years.

“Regular Covid-19 testing should be conducted in areas that do not report any outbreak and carry out epidemic surveillance and reporting,” Li Dachuan, an official with the National Health Commission, said at a press briefing on Thursday.

That is a U-turn from the commission’s statement in early June, when a senior official said low-risk areas, people who stay at home for long periods and those at low risk of infection do not need to undergo frequent testing.

China’s zero-Covid response is facing its toughest stress test since the outbreak in Shanghai forced a two-month hard lockdown. For over a month, the country has reported over 1,000 local infections every day and more cities entered different levels of lockdown, including the southwestern megacity of Chengdu, home to more than 21 million.

Prompt mass testing, which is free for residents, is a major tool for early detection under the zero-Covid strategy.

Although the cost of the tests has been cut drastically, frequent testing has become an increasingly expensive approach in the face of highly contagious Omicron variants.

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Panic buying in Chengdu as China locks down another megacity to contain Covid-19 spread

China calls for mass Covid-19 testing, but it could burden local governments

Frequent testing has become an expensive approach in the face of highly contagious Omicron variants The cost of a year of mass screening in all first- and second-tier cities could top US$208 billion, according to one estimate

Frequent testing has become an expensive approach in the face of highly contagious Omicron variants

The cost of a year of mass screening in all first- and second-tier cities could top US$208 billion, according to one estimate