 |
| Some have shared videos on social media of them swapping cigarettes for cabbage, and a Nintendo Switch for instant noodles and steamed buns. (Photo by= Weibo) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] People quarantined in the Chinese city of Xi'an are bartering supplies amid continuing worries over food shortages. BBC said that social posts show locals swapping cigarettes and tech gadgets for food. About 13 million have been confined to their homes since 23 December.
The strict measures come ahead of the Lunar New Year and the Winter Olympics due to be held in Beijing next month. Overnight, the city of Yuzhou was shut down after the discovery of just three cases, all of them asymptomatic. Yuzhou, with a population of 1.1 million, has closed its transport system and entertainment venues and banned almost all vehicles from the roads. All but essential food shops are shut, with only workers involved in epidemic prevention allowed out. The outbreak in the much larger city to the west is the worst China has seen in months as it continues a "zero Covid" strategy, seeking to stamp out the virus rather than try to live with it.
Authorities in Xi'an have been providing free food to households, but there have been numerous complaints on social media. Some residents said their supplies were running low or that they had yet to receive aid. Some were more optimistic though, and commented on how "touched" they were by their neighbours' kindness in sharing their supplies with them.
