China suddenly scrapped its tough infection control regime on the seventh of December, after insisting on an intense zero-covid policy for almost three years. This also reduces the need for infection control equipment and test stations, and for those who work in such places. The videos are supposed to show employees protesting at the Zybio factory in Chongqing Massive protests At a factory in Chongqing, the situation is said to have led to massive protests last weekend. Around half of the 20,000 employees at Zybio (Zhongyuan Huiji), which produces corona tests, have reportedly been told to take an early holiday. In practice, this should mean that they were fired. Many of them must have had outstanding payments. This is written by the labor rights organization China Labor Bulletin (CLB). Videos from local media, also posted on Twitter, show protesters throwing equipment and plastic boxes at security guards and police. They block streets, light fires outside the factory and shout out their demands. The factory finally met them. The workers had their wages adjusted up. The people in white have been a large part of the cityscape in China. This photo is from Shanghai in December 2022. Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP The white ones are disappearing – The layoffs at the factory in Chongqing are connected to the change in the corona policy, as parts of the production were closed when the demand for the antigen decreased, says Aidan Chau of CLB to news. There was also a similar protest in Hangzhou at the weekend, and there are likely to be more. – We expect more protests involving employees in 2023, because economic decline is predicted this year, says Chau. At the same time, the army of people dressed in white protective suits and goggles has almost disappeared from the cityscape. They have dominated the everyday life of the Chinese, and have been nicknamed “dabai” 大白, which means “the big whites”. Millions of people dressed in white have led people into long test queues on the streets. They have pushed test sticks down people’s throats and deep into their noses. Equipped with large pressure cans, they have sprayed disinfectant into the streets. The white-clad infection control officers have been everywhere in the street scene. Now most of them have disappeared as the intense infection control measures were dismantled Photo: NOEL CELIS / AFP Army of the unemployed They have stood guard in quarantine hotels, on the subway, outside restaurants and shopping centres. At times they have marked the entrance to the grocery store. They were anonymous, like robots, and overnight they almost completely disappeared. For a short period, some of them switched to selling combination packages to Chinese people with corona, writes the newspaper SCMP. The packages contain not only Western fever medicine and headache tablets, but also the Chinese herbal medicine lianhua qingwen, which Chinese authorities encourage people to use. The peak of infection is said to have been reached in Chinese cities, and although the strong wave of infection will probably reach the countryside soon, the need for the packages has quickly decreased. Many of those in white were loaned bureaucrats and some were volunteers, but the millions who were engaged as infection control officers have now become an army of the unemployed. Chinese people in infection prevention suits in Beijing, in December 2022 Photo: Ken Moritsugu / AP Employment agencies Chau says that he does not know well the situation with unemployment among employees in the infection control apparatus, but that he will not be surprised if there are more disagreements about pay. – Most are employed by temp agencies, and it is common for these to get rid of workers without giving them compensation, when the need for labor decreases. He explains that the Chinese economy already slowed down last year. One in five young Chinese were unemployed last autumn, according to CNN. Many believe that China’s reopening of society will in the long run be good for both the Chinese and global economy, even if the first months will be chaotic. Challenges – The authorities are desperate for an economic comeback in 2023. Some of this will happen when people are no longer afraid that the virus is dangerous, because then they will again seek out restaurants and spend money. That is what author and economist George Magnus, who is associated with the China Center at Oxford University, tells news. George Magnus is an economist and author. He is associated with the China Center at Oxford University Photo: Oxford University He believes in an upswing within a few weeks and that it will last a few months, but that it will be short-lived anyway. China has major challenges that began even before the pandemic. – I am not so sure that the middle class will get the bright future they expected when Xi Jinping first came to power. I estimate a growth of between 2.5 and 3.5 per cent, says Magnus. Magnus believes that many young people in China have become skeptical that the regime has control over the situation. There is almost no need for infection control workers like these anymore Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP When China managed to stop the first corona outbreak, the authorities received great support from the people. The Chinese lived almost normal lives while the virus ravaged the world outside. Omikrom’s arrival changed everything. Constant and long shutdowns in Chinese cities of millions have led to strong frustration in the depths of the population. The sudden scrapping of infection control measures has not created confidence either. Lack of trust is not what the country needs to create growth. – For young people, the job and income situation is far less promising than it used to be. Many point to the experience they have gained in the pandemic both eroding their trust in the authorities and their own joy and optimism, says Magnus. An infection control worker at work at a corona test station in Shanghai in December Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP
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China’s scrapping of infection control leaves millions unemployed – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
