(Bloomberg) — China vowed to ensure continuous food supply at stable prices after an outcry over shortages of produce in the coronavirus hotspot of Xi’an city in Shaanxi province, officials said at the State Council’s press conference on Saturday, while reiterating the government’s zero covid policy.
The northwest epidemic center of Xi’an, which has been in lockdown for two weeks, has struggled to deliver daily necessities to its 13 million residents. Officials on Saturday expressed confidence that they would provide adequate supplies and would solve delivery problems after several shopping apps stopped functioning because of pandemic controls.
The local government has taken measures to reduce prices for pork and vegetables, and wholesale grocery markets are working to ensure supplies, Wang Bin, spokesman with the Ministry of Commerce, said at the press conference.
Hospitals in Shaanxi province have admitted 1,992 people infected with the virus. Serious cases account for 2.4% of the total, lower than the nation’s average of 7% since the second half of 2020, according to the conference.
China has ordered hospitals to accept all patients following a case in which a pregnant woman miscarried after she was refused entry to a hospital.
About 86% of China’s population has been fully vaccinated and the total number of jabs administered was 2.89 billion as of Jan. 7, according to the conference.
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