Police presence prevents protests – more vaccinations planned

Despite the dissatisfaction of the population about lockdowns, forced quarantines and mass testing, the government wants to stick to the rigorous measures. But as Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng announced in Beijing on Tuesday, the vaccination campaign must continue — especially among the elderly population.

For fear of side effects, the elderly in the country of 1.4 billion people have so far been vaccinated less often. Only 40 percent of those over 80 received a booster shot, as reported by the Health Commission. According to experts, this can lead to many victims in an uncontrolled corona wave. Progress would be an important condition for easing.

The Commission announced that there would be more vaccination in nursing homes. People who do not want to be vaccinated must also be able to provide a reason for this, but the committee did not intend to waive the zero covid cure. Changes that have already been announced must be implemented “quickly and thoroughly” in order to reduce “nuisance”. Authorities must also implement existing rules and refrain from the “wrong practice” of additional measures.

“China’s Covid measures are evidence-based, correct and effective,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said when asked about the discontent that sparked the biggest wave of protests in decades over the weekend. After calls for new demonstrations, a large contingent of security forces was mobilized. In large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou, police are on the streets en masse to nip protests in the bud.

In many cases, passers-by were stopped, made to identify themselves and show their mobile phones, which were then checked for suspicious content or programs such as tunneling services (VPN) to evade censorship. There is a news blackout in China about the protests. Isolated protests are usually only known through social media videos. However, the censors could not keep up with the removal.

Thousands took to the streets in various cities over the weekend to protest against zero-Covid measures such as a curfew, forced isolation, mandatory testing or the continuous monitoring of corona apps. In Beijing they chanted “lift the lockdown” and “we don’t want PCR tests, we want freedom”. These were the largest protests in China since the democracy movement, which was brutally crushed by the military in 1989.

Discontent has also increased because China is currently experiencing its largest corona wave since the start of the pandemic almost three years ago. The numbers are not high in an international comparison, but the effects of the strict measures are huge: a fifth of the world’s second largest economy – meaning hundreds of millions of people – is likely to be affected by nationwide lockdowns.

“The population doesn’t matter anymore,” said a European health expert in Beijing. The virus is already ‘well established’ in the country with the easily contagious omicron variants. The measures in the fight against the virus that existed at the moment could only be implemented very radically. The government has no strategy and is “increasingly cornered”.

After a steady increase in the number of infections, the Health Commission reported for the first time a slight decrease in the number of daily new infections to about 38,400 cases. A peak of over 40,000 had been reported the day before. In the capital, however, the number of new infections rose further to 4300. While food supply markets are open, most restaurants, schools, shops and offices are closed.

Fearing new protests, Beijing police secured the Liangma River promenade near the diplomatic district, where hundreds had demonstrated on Sunday night. Many police officers were also seen in the Haidian University District. In Shanghai, a large contingent of security forces was mobilized around People’s Square on Monday evening. The situation was similar on Wulumuqi Road, where roadblocks had been set up.

The street is named after the capital of the Xinjiang region, Ürümqi (Chinese: Wulumuqi). Many people had gathered there over the weekend to commemorate the ten dead in an apartment fire in Ürümqi on Thursday night. The fire sparked protests in many cities as many presumed zero-Covid measures are hampering rescue efforts.

Dozens of students gathered Monday evening at the Chinese University in China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and, like protesters in other cities over the weekend, held up blank sheets of paper to commemorate the victims. The white sheets have become a symbol of resistance and protest against Chinese censorship.

(SDA)