Millions of Chinese may soon be unable to go to public spaces such as schools, hospitals or shopping centres because they have not yet been vaccinated against the coronavirus. As a result, several cities are considering implementing such measures.
With the heavy measure, governments hope to keep the virus under control while the Delta variant spreads through Asia.
In the city of Chuxiong, everyone aged 18 or older must have had at least one vaccination before July 23. Anyone who doesn’t will be banned from public places. A month later, two doses are required. In the Tianhe region, civil servants will no longer receive a salary if they have not been vaccinated before July 20.
Many Chinese cities want 70 to 80 percent of residents to be vaccinated by September. That is more than the national target. The Chinese government aims to have 64 percent of the total population vaccinated by the end of the year.
China started vaccinating at the end of 2020, but the campaign has been slow. This is partly due to the country’s success in curbing outbreaks and a distrust of the vaccine itself. Meanwhile, 1.4 billion doses are said to have been administered.
