Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed “concern” about the spread of the coronavirus in the country’s rural areas, state media reported, as millions of people are expected to move to their villages before the start of the Lunar New Year celebrations. month due to the damage to the economy and the unprecedented nationwide protests he caused, saying it was “the right choice”.
Xi told local officials in a series of calls on Wednesday ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday that he was concerned about the health situation in outlying areas.
“He is mainly concerned about rural areas and villagers after the country adjusted its response to COVID-19,” Xi was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency.
“He highlighted efforts to improve healthcare for vulnerable groups exposed to the virus in rural areas,” she added.
“Prevention and control of the epidemic has entered a new stage, and we are still in a period that requires great effort,” Xi said, according to the agency, emphasizing the need to “address gaps in epidemic prevention in rural areas.” “
Transport authorities expected more than two billion trips to be recorded in the 40 days from January to February, nearly double last year’s figure and 70% of pre-pandemic levels.
State media reported that 30.2 million people traveled across the country on Wednesday alone.
There are fears that this massive movement, classified as one of the largest migrations in the world, will lead to an increase in HIV infections in China’s resource-poor rural areas.
Last month, Beijing reversed its tough virus policy, lifting strict restrictions and mandatory mass testing.
Xi defended the policy on Wednesday, stressing that the “zero COVID” strategy was “the right choice” and allowed the country to fight “multiple rounds of different outbreaks.”
