He is from an area where testing has become part of daily life.
A 22-month-old in China has been tested for Covid-19 a whopping 74 times since he was born, his father claims.
The boy is from a town called Ruili (in the west of Yunnan province), which shares a border with Myanmar, a country badly hit by the virus.
Ruili has been subject to four strict lockdowns since September 2020, with all but supermarkets, hospitals and pharmacies ordered to shut their doors.
There, a negative test result from within the last week is required for entering public facilities, meaning Covid-19 testing has become a part of people’s day-to-day lives.
“My son has undergone a Covid test 74 times,” the 22-month-old’s father, a businessman, told local media.
“[We] seldom go out, and my son basically just stays home. We’re afraid [of the coronavirus]. You never know where you might be infected.”
As schools and other educational institutions have been shut, the man said he has been trying to homeschool the toddler.
At a press conference on the guidelines last week, Ruili deputy mayor Yang Mou recognised the “difficult times experienced by the masses”.
“Since Ruili continues to have daily cases, there is still a risk of the virus spreading,” he said.
“Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a strict policy preventing people from leaving Ruili to ensure the virus does not spread, and so we do not affect the anti-pandemic efforts of the province and country.”
