Despite ongoing lockdowns, the corona figures in China have risen to their highest level in six months. Authorities reported about 5,600 new infections on Monday, nearly half of which were in the economically important Guangdong province in the south of the country. In Beijing, several schools were closed after nearly 60 new infections were registered in Chaoyang’s business and embassy district. Companies sent their employees from home and asked them to undergo regular PCR tests.
China still has a strict zero-covid policy. Lockdowns to shut down entire neighborhoods and cities and closing businesses due to small corona outbreaks are putting a strain on the economy and people’s daily lives. Complaints about poor quarantine conditions, food shortages and delayed emergency care have greatly destroyed trust in the authorities.
The Chinese health authority announced on Saturday that it is “steadfastly” sticking to its previous corona policy.
“Who has the right to seal the doors of the houses?”
Most recently, the death of a 55-year-old in the locked-down town of Hohhot sparked outrage. She had thrown herself out of the window of her apartment, which was locked from the outside. Her family had previously reported to authorities that the woman had an anxiety disorder and was suicidal. Audio recordings of her daughter’s desperate plea to open the door were widely shared on online networks.
“Who has the right to seal the doors of the apartment buildings?” asked an angry user of the short messaging service Weibo. “Who would be responsible in the event of an earthquake or fire?”
A few days earlier, a toddler in Lanzhou city, which was also in lockdown, died of carbon monoxide poisoning because he was not treated in time at the hospital. (AFP/ymh)