Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that his country will continue with Beijing's strict "zero COVID" policy.He stated that he is even willing to take on temporary economic problems in exchange for not harming the health of citizens, according to the state-run Global Times."The consequences of pursuing herd immunity and taking a 'chill' approach would be unimaginable given China's large population," Xi said during his visit to the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. .He added that "the zero COVID dynamic is the most economical and effective option for the country."Beijing intermittently implements strict restrictions and lockdowns to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which has caused a slowdown in business activities and reduced the country's chances of meeting its annual growth targets.However, Xi stressed that the government "prefers to temporarily disrupt economic development than harm the lives and health of its people."In this sense, Xi assured that "China has the capacity and strength to implement a dynamic policy of zero COVID until achieving final victory."On Tuesday, China's National Health Commission revised its guidelines for international travelers, according to which they should spend seven days in a government-run quarantine facility and another three days at home, up from 14 days in quarantine. and seven in previous self-isolation.See also: WHO warns that COVID-19 cases are rising in 110 countriesChina registered 24 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, of which 21 were people who arrived from abroad, according to the Commission.The country's overall case count since December 2019 now stands at 225,605, including 5,226 deaths.*Translated by Daniel Gallego.information policyPrivacy and Cookie Policy