China’s “dynamic zero tolerance” against Covid-19 means that few citizens have had to pay with their lives because of the coronavirus. The many closures nevertheless eat away at patience and the economy, and many believe that the policy has become a danger to both life and health. On Friday evening, things must have boiled over for people in Urumqi in the west of China. People took to the streets and demanded an end to the closures. Videos show residents who have gathered in a public square, clench their fists in the air and sing parts of the national anthem with the words “rise up, you who refuse to be slaves”. The footage has been shared by Reuters, and the news agency has managed to verify the location. Neither the news agency nor news can date the videos, but they coincide with several reports about the incident. People took to the streets in protest against the strict corona measures in Urumqi in Xinjiang, in western China. Photo: Video Obtained by Reuters / Reuters Heated discussion There was a fire in a closed apartment block on Thursday which threw embers into the heated discussion in social media. It is about whether the strict corona policy is really in the best interest of the country. Ten people died in the fire in Urumqi in Xinjiang, and many blame the shutdown. It has been shown that it is often challenging, both to get out of a closed area, and to get help in, when an emergency situation arises. Many of Urumqi’s residents live in areas that have been closed for 100 days. This is one of the longest things people in China have experienced. Public officials held a press conference on Saturday and claimed that the corona measures had not prevented people from getting out, or getting help in. The newspaper Global Times (GT), which is one of the authorities’ mouthpieces, writes that the incident will be investigated. The heated discussion nevertheless continued on social media. Many residential areas are strictly guarded when the measures against Covid-19 are introduced. Photo: NOEL CELIS / AFP Rare It is rare for the outside world to get pictures of demonstrations in China, but in Beijing there have now also been small protests against the shutdown. A video posted on Twitter shows people kicking down barricades in what is supposed to be the residential area of Tiantongyuan. This place is half an hour’s drive west of Beijing International Airport. The protests in recent days have led to the shutdown being ended earlier than planned in several places. People have called the police when the neighborhood committees, as the lowest level of government, have tried to get people to go into home quarantine. In several cases, the police have upheld local residents when they have argued that it is against the rules to quarantine entire residential areas because of a small number of infected people or close contacts in the same street. The Global Times reports that the covid situation in Xinjiang is now under control, and that life will soon return to normal. People dressed in protective suits watch the demonstrations that are supposed to have taken place in a large residential area in Beijing at the weekend Photo: Video Obtained by Reuters / Reuters Got support China’s authorities prioritize peace and stability more than anything else. The Communist Party gained a lot of support in the population when Covid, with shockingly tough methods, was quickly defeated in the country in 2020. The citizens were happy that there were very few deaths compared to almost every other country in the world, and that the economy quickly got back on its feet. After the virus later returned via other nations, the zero tolerance towards Covid has led to ever greater impatience in the population. The World Health Organization has recommended that China reconsider its corona policy, but small attempts to open up more still lead to heavy shutdowns when the number of cases rises. Record in China The consequences of constant shutdowns are great for small and medium-sized companies, but also for business cooperation across national borders. China’s economy has nevertheless grown by 3.9 per cent in the past year, but the target was a growth of 5.5 per cent. The Chinese authorities defend the measures by saying that many elderly people have chosen not to get vaccinated, and that the health system will not withstand a flood of Covid patients. On Friday, the country registered 34,909 Covid cases. These are low numbers compared to the outside world, but it was still a record for the third time in China.
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Strong protests against Covid lockdown in China – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
