BEIJING, May 23, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - The Chinese province of Henan has ordered 
its nearly 100 million people to take a Covid test every two days, an 
unprecedented step as the country grapples with an Omicron-fuelled surge. 

China has persisted with its zero-Covid policy, imposing hard lockdowns and 
movement restrictions on several cities even as much of the world has 
transitioned to living with the coronavirus.

The curbs, including stay-at-home orders in economic engine Shanghai and 
creeping restrictions across Beijing, have inflicted a heavy economic toll.

To avoid a similar city-wide lockdown, local governments are adopting high-
frequency testing to detect cases more swiftly and potentially isolate 
clusters without ordering entire populations to stay indoors.

"Residents of (Henan) province and other personnel there should complete 
nucleic acid sampling at least once every 48 hours," according to an article 
posted Sunday on the local government's website.

The testing will begin in Henan's provincial capital of Zhengzhou before the 
end of May, authorities said, according to the report, to help with 
"identifying potential risks" quickly.

Residents who do not comply will have problems scanning the codes needed to 
enter public places or take transport, the report added.

Other provincial capitals -- such as Shijiazhuang in the northern province of 
Hebei -- have also rolled out similar measures, with Shijiazhuang saying it 
would start weekly Covid tests for its 11 million people on Monday.

Analysts have cautioned that frequent mass testing comes at a high cost to an 
already faltering economy.

If similar mandates are expanded to all of mainland China, it could cost 
between 0.9 percent and 2.3 percent of China's gross domestic product, said 
Nomura analysts in a report this month.

Key business hub Shanghai has been almost entirely sealed off for around two 
months, snarling supply chains, while China's capital Beijing has banned 
dining out and ordered millions to work from home.

Retail sales and factory output slumped to their lowest levels in around two 
years last month, reflecting the fallout from China's zero-Covid policy.