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This railroad is probably more usefull then the one for sightseeing in Lijang ;-)
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This railroad is probably more usefull then the one for sightseeing in Lijang ;-)
Test runs have started of the new Lijiang Sightseeing Train. See:
www.chinadaily.com.cn/[...]
This is not new. Combined testing has been the norm in all this mass testing. If your batch receives a positive you get an orange code and you have to go for an individual test. These tests are not at the same place so you don’t queue with the general public.
These combination testing is not geared to see if you as an individual have Covid but to see if there is any Covid in the community at large. Combined testing is thus done if it is expected that there is no Covid.
For the period I have some official data, that was September 25 to 28, 6.54 million tests were done in Kunming and all were negative. That means that still 654 thousand batches had to be analysed. Some 220 thousand per day so it is still an enormous operation.
The benefit of combined testing is cost saving. You can get an individual test as well but they cost 16 kuai.
So be happy that there is combined testing because basically it means that there is no Covid.
For the official report quoted above see:
mp.weixin.qq.com/s/rJh3WDDDdJXzAGrzLy55-A
@livinginchina
The zero covid policy is not to have zero covid but aimed at reducing the impact of Covid. If it is the right policy or not I cannot say, I am not an epidemiologist, but what is known is that the Chinese vaccines efficiency rate combined with in certain area and groups low vaccination rate cannot give herd immunity to protect all.
I am double vaccinated and boosted but that already quite some time ago and with vaccines modelled at the than prevalent strains of Covid. That means basically that I and the rest of China are not prepared, vaccine wise, for the onslaught of Omicron. The result of that would be an overwhelmed health care system that would collapse.
The whole idea of pandemic control is to avoid the collapse of the healthcare system. China till now could avoid a collapse because it could draw health workers from other parts of China that were not affected. If Omicron goes on a stampede this would not be possible anymore. You have to realise that in other countries Omicron had a limited death rate because all the vulnerable people had already died of earlier strains of Covid.
Indeed forever zero covid is not possible but the aim is to buy time to develop Omicron specific boosters that will dampen the impact of epidemic covid in China.
More elephant news:
www.chinadaily.com.cn/[...]
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China, Bangladesh to build overland trade route?
Posted bySorry two more points.
The article states that 600 Km in China has been finished. However 156 Km still has to be done. It took 12 years to build the 265 Km stretch from Dali to near Longling. This with plenty of money from the Go West development program. It would be another 1000 Km to Bangladesh.
At this moment there is not a single road between Myanmar and Bangladesh. One reason for this being the dispute between the two countries and the Rohringya ethnic group issue in the area.
China, Bangladesh to build overland trade route?
Posted byI is amazing that these stories keep popping up. The statements are pure political and have no relation to real life.
Any road or rail-link would have to go through Myanmar and anybody who has ever travelled through the north of Myanmar knows that the whole thing is utopic.
There are simply no proper roads in the north of Myanmar. The roads that are there are built more than half a century ago and in appalling condition. Elephants are used to pull vehicles through the worst spots. The reason why these roads are bad is because this is what the local powers that be want it. Better roads would facilitate the movement of the government army and the local 'rebel groups', for their own safety, don't want that.
The government of India don't want it either and well for three reasons: 1. Better roads, or roads at all, in Nagaland would make it possible for the Naga who are in opposition to the central government to easily flee into Myanmar (Nagaland is on both sides of the border.)(Be aware that all the border provinces in India in this area are so instable that foreigners are not even allowed to go there) 2. The road leads from the border through Assam through an area where local opposition groups close of the existing roads for more than a hundred days per year. To put pressure on the central government they declare "ban's" which are general strikes and anybody moving on these days is likely to get his vehicle burned down. More traffic on the road gives the opposition more power and the government of India would have to allocate more force to control the area. 3. A direct trade link with China would swarm India with Chinese products (Chinese products are cheap and high quality compared with Indian products). This thus leads to big opposition from the local industry and trade.
Optimist will make a point that there is a pipeline (Still under construction) from the Bay of Bengal in Myanmar to China so it is possible. Well indeed in this case but the main reason is that Myanmar exports it natural gas from their off-shore fields in the Bay of Bengal to China through this pipe. This forms the single highest export and source of income for the Myanmar government and therefore they are willing to put the extra security in place. What helps as well is that the pipeline is much further south and passes through less instable area.
In short "don't keep your breath".
Cycling Around Erhai Lake
Posted byI just cycled along the lake for a bit on the West side. There is a new road more or less hugging the lake side which is great for cycling. The road is reached from the road leading from Dali (Old town) to Caicun Warf. 3/4th of the way down you find the road there crossing the fields. The road is surprisingly well sign posted Erhai lake round road (also the cut off to Xizhou is not indicated). Where the road leads south I don't know but it would be nice if it started in XiaGuan.
Cycling from XiaGuan to Dali on Road#221 I stayed on the cycle part which is separated by the car part by a crash-barrier. This might save you from cars but on the other side there is a several meter straight drop into the paddy fields. Near Dali that track was suddenly blocked by two truck-loads of fresh dung blocking the way so a proper cycling track into Dali would be great.