People in China warned against visiting elders in Lunar New Year as Covid cases spread rapidly

The residents of China have received a warning against visiting the elders in their homes during the holidays of the Lunar New Year, as the Covid-19 virus continues to travel rapidly through various cities as well as regional areas.State council pandemic prevention team’s member Prof Guo Jianwen appealed to people “don’t go home to visit them” if the virus has not infected their elderly relatives.

“You have all kinds of ways to show you care for them, you don’t necessarily have to bring the virus to their home,” Jianwensaid on Thursday.

The period holiday, which was set to start on January 21, was meant to be days of celebration and festivities after the restrictions over Covid-19 were lifted in December, however, the celebrations have been washed away by the coronavirus wave.

This week, health authorities said that infections have peaked in various provinces as well as cities like Shanghai and Beijing. However, serious concerns have been raised in regional areas where the health resources are more limited and a large number of people are reported unvaccinated.

Yale University’s assistant professor Dr Chen Xi, who has specialised in ageing and public health, said, “The situation in rural China is very murky. We have strong reasons to believe rural China will get much worse as the spring festival approaches.”

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Along with appealing to people to avoid travelling, regional authorities have been asked to ensure that pandemic materials are supplied to every region, which includes medication for two weeks.

As per Global Times, teams of drivers were asked to be arranged by the communities so that patients in villages can be transported “when ambulances from medical institutions cannot arrive in time”.

(With inputs from agencies)