The Chinese government’s inability to contain the outbreak has disrupted life across the country and beyond, provoking grief and outrage that the Communist Party state under Xi Jinping has also been scrambling to cauterize. The crisis threatens to disrupt people’s return to work on Monday after an already-extended break for the Lunar New Year.

Most cities, including the capital, Beijing, have largely been shut down for two weeks, with residents warned to stay indoors. Most, by all appearances, have done so, creating eerily deserted cityscapes. It remains far from certain that anything like a normal workday will resume in most of the country, though the severity of imposed restrictions varies from city to city.

Some schools have announced they would delay the start of post-holiday schedules, as have many companies. Theaters, museums and other places plan to remain shut through the end of February.

Economists are predicting a significant blow to China’s economy, which could worsen significantly if businesses and factories struggle to resume functioning. Millions of Chinese away from home are in limbo because of travel restrictions and quarantines imposed after the virus emerged.