A toddler in a town has endured four lockdowns since September 2020 and has been tested for coronavirus 74 times since he was born.
The town of Ruili sits in the west of Yunnan province and shares a border with Covid-hit Myanmar. It has been subject to four strict lockdowns since September of last year, lasting about seven months in total.
Since July, 716 people returning to Ruili from other places have tested positive for Covid-19, the Ruili government said.
Covid-19 tests have become a part of people’s daily lives, as a negative test result from within the last seven days is needed for entering public facilities.
“My [22-month-old] son has undergone a Covid test 74 times,” one jade businessman told the media on October 29. “[We] seldom go out, and my son basically just stays home. We’re afraid [of the coronavirus]. You never know where you might be infected.”
Since school has been suspended, the man said he has been trying to homeschool his son.
Another resident said he is being tested about two times every three days.
“We are all used to it, and we are definitely having a hard time [under the lockdown],” he said.
On October 29, Ruili deputy mayor Yang Mou acknowledged the “difficult times experienced by the masses” at a press conference on the pandemic.
“Since Ruili continues to have daily cases, there is still a risk of the virus spreading,” he said.
