Every three days, Faith Wang, a Beijing-based podcast producer, waits in line for about 30 minutes for a COVID PCR test.
Key points:
- Many larger Chinese cities have standardized regular COVID-19 testing as part of the country’s COVID-0 policy
- Tens of thousands of test booths are being built so residents can always have one within a 15-minute walk
- Economists estimate that the testing regime could cost $ 354 billion a year
With the arrival of summer and the heat, it is an uncomfortable and frustrating experience.
But as part of the Chinese government’s “COVID-zero” policy, anyone in Beijing who wants to enter public places, including workplaces, shopping malls, restaurants, and even residential complexes, must have received a PCR result. negative in the last 72 hours.
“All of this makes me very upset,” Ms. Wang said.
According to local media, at least 44 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, have made regular COVID testing a mandatory part of living a normal life, although many of these sites have had no recent cases of COVID.
Tens of thousands of test booths are being built to give residents a 15-minute walk.
But Ms. Wang said the tests were still a nuisance.
“Sometimes you see a test location on the map, but when you get there, it’s not open,” he said.
Beijing resident Faith Wang says she is upset about the city’s usual COVID-19 tests. (Supplied)
“Or a stand that should open at 9 a.m., often open at 10 a.m. or 11 a.m.”
To his frustration are added errors to the system.
In China, everyone has to travel with COVID QR codes, which show different colors to show someone’s health and the status of the tests.
Once, Ms. Wang’s application was not updated for four days after taking a test.
“I don’t know why, there seems to be a delay in the system. I didn’t go out during those days because of that, [although] at that time there was nothing open [due to COVID restrictions]. ”
Meanwhile, mistakes have benefited some people.
Jolyn He, a Wuhan freelance designer who refuses to be tested, found out when she went to the hospital for minor eye surgery, her app was stuck in green.
“In general, if you don’t test for COVID, your code will be grayed out,” he said.
“I may not be on the system because I have not tested [since the policy came out].
“So I can really go anywhere with this green code.”
Testing in some cities “very convenient”
Not everyone is depressed with the standardization of testing.
Shenzhen resident Joy Tang, who is the director of a brain imaging medical equipment company, said testing in her hometown was “very convenient” and that people rarely needed to queue. .
In Beijing, people have to show a negative PCR test for the last three days to go shopping. (AP: Mark Schiefelbein)
“There are a lot of test sites in Shenzhen,” Ms. Tang said.
“Almost every residential complex has one. Each is 1 mile away.
“You can see them [the testing sites] in a mobile app, which will tell you the location and whether the site is now busy or free “.
However, he said that testing in other cities that did not yet have the infrastructure was “much more difficult”.
“In these cities, you can only be tested in hospitals … so now I only stay one day in each city to avoid it,” he said.
“I do not want to travel abroad [of Shenzhen] month”.
Ms. Tang believes that standardizing COVID testing is a good policy.
“It makes me feel safer, but I know it’s a big financial loss for the government,” he said.
Costs and opportunities for the economy
The government is installing tens of thousands of COVID test booths across the country. (AP: Andrew Braun)
Chinese economists estimate that the massive testing regime could cost China 1.7 trillion yuan ($ 354 billion) a year.
Monash economics professor Shi Heling said this could be enough to boost China’s economy into recession later this year.
“Each test doesn’t cost much, but don’t forget that China has so many people,” said Professor Shi.
China’s National Health Administration recently announced that the costs of testing would be covered by local governments.
But while testing is still free in most cities, there have been cases where citizens have to pay about 3.5 yuan ($ 1) for proof of their pockets.
Professor Shi said most local governments already had budget deficits and would eventually pass on the costs.
“In the end, I think most provinces and cities will refuse to pay for it,” he said.
“Eventually, the costs will fall on the individual person.”
Some economists have suggested that the testing regime may have some economic benefits, creating jobs and boosting businesses.
The owner of a Jiangsu company that produces test booths for COVID, who wants to be known as Mr. Du, told ABC he was doing the policy right.
“We sell between 30 and 40 [testing booths] one month … the competition is pretty fierce, “he said.
Du said each stand cost about 20,000 yuan ($ 4,160) and “there is continued demand.”
But Professor Shi said that while the standardization of COVID testing could create demand for testing facilities and jobs for testers, it was unreasonable to rely on it to develop China’s economy.
“This may seem like adding some numbers to GDP, but it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
“The most important thing for the economy is to benefit the people, and boosting the economy with COVID testing is a waste of time and money.”
Widespread testing is “the only way” to achieve COVID-0
The Chinese government intends to have a COVID-19 test booth a 15-minute walk away for each citizen. (Reuters: Aly Song)
George Liu, a public health expert at La Trobe University, said frequent and massive PCR testing may be China’s “only way” to achieve its zero COVID policy because the Omicron variant was so transmissible.
He said China was now in a “very difficult position” because if Beijing abandoned politics without raising the vaccination rate, the consequences could be disastrous.
“The biggest problem will be [low] vaccination [among the elderly]”He said.
“China must solve this problem, otherwise the health system will be overwhelmed.”
The increase in vaccination rates should come with a plan to exit COVID-zero, he added.
“It doesn’t make sense to increase vaccination without moving to this stage [of living with the virus]”He said.
“We all know that immunity will decrease over time. If you give vaccine boosters to the elderly population right now, and then move on to living with the virus a year later, that won’t give these people good protection.”