China's extreme measure to keep Covid-19 out of the country
China's unrelenting Covid-zero strategy shows little sign of abating as the nation unveiled another "extreme measure" to ensure the virus does not breach its borders.
Unlike other countries, China has refused to live with Covid-19, even in the face of highly-transmissible variants, with Beijing's stringent measures while hosting the recent Winter Olympics an indication of their commitment to suppressing Covid-19.
On Monday, as China reported a splutter of cases dotted across the country, China Post revealed it would be testing all overseas mail coming into the country while also opening letters and parcels to swab the contents.
China has long feared the importation of Covid-19 through goods from overseas, despite experts suggesting it was an unlikely source of transmission.
Beijing has also peddled the theory the virus could have initially been imported into China through cold chain transmission, widely interpreted in the West as a way to deflect blame for the pandemic.
Residents were instructed in January to minimise purchases from overseas after it was believed a parcel from Canada triggered an Omicron outbreak.
China's latest move 'isn't justifiable'
Professor Ian Mackay, a virologist at the University of Queensland, told Yahoo News Australia he believed the latest measure from China "isn't a justifiable use of resources".
"We know the main route of transmission — it's via aerosols. Little to no evidence exists that surfaces like these play any significant role in human infection," he said.
"It's unlikely this route even qualifies as an exceptionally rare route of real-world infection."
Hassan Vally, associate professor of epidemiology at Deakin University, told Yahoo it appears to be "an extreme measure" from China.
Professor Vally pointed to his previous explanations on surface transmission for The Conversation, where last year he concluded there was a lack of evidence to suggest it played a major role in the spread of Covid-19.
He previously suggested studies on surface transmission were overstated and often lacked "real world relevance".
And while recent research from Japan suggests the Omicron variant can live longer on the skin and plastics than previous variants, Prof Vally still argues a lack of real world data makes such studies unreliable.
"It is reasonable to speculate real world conditions would be harsher and more changeable – in terms of temperature and humidity – which may reduce virus survival times considerably," he said.
China won't pursue Covid-zero strategy forever
While China's resolve has been unwavering when it comes to Covid, top Chinese scientist Zeng Guang this week admitted China's tactics cannot "remain unchanged forever" and Beijing's long-term goal was to eventually "co-exist" with the virus.
He said Beijing would be able to "observe and learn" from other countries living with the virus.
Professor Catherine Bennett, Chair of Epidemiology at Deakin University, told Yahoo in November China's weaker vaccines were a contributing factor as to why the country had kept its guard up for so long.
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