As COVID-19 cases increased to their maximum level since the epidemic, more Chinese cities introduced partial lockdowns, adding further limitations for sick Chinese people. The number of illnesses recorded by the National Health Commission, 32,695, was the highest since April when Shanghai was placed under a two-month lockdown. Offices have been ordered to close, the majority of schools have switched to virtual learning, and eCommerce applications have had trouble delivering grocery shopping, all of which recall to remind the early days of the pandemic in 2020. China remains an exception from the rest of the world, which has learned to live with the virus after focusing on vaccinations. Millions of Chinese people have recently looked on in jealousy at the people assembled in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
People disappointed over the strict lockdown
Recent days have seen conflicts burst out in several Chinese towns, from rioting in Zhengzhou, the “iPhone hub,” to disturbances in Guangzhou, the southern industrial center, where locals have fought because of extended lockdowns. The administration has defended “zero voids” and warned that loosening the policy would result in a tsunami of deaths. However, authorities haven’t attempted to revive a weak booster immunization campaign. The catastrophe in Urumqi, in western Xinjiang, where at least 10 people died from an apartment building fire, which many in China believed was caused by a lockdown, generated the most outrage on Chinese social media. The public’s growing anger with the present measures was increased by the fire, which was commonly viewed as a lockdown-caused tragedy.
Lockdowns are having a growing negative economic impact in China. According to a survey from the Japanese financial firm Nomura, more than one-fifth of the nation’s GDP is currently under lockdown. The Chinese central bank decreased its reserve requirement ratio for the second time this year to release $70 billion to help the country’s economy, reflecting the government’s concerns.
