Anger grows in China over tightening lockdowns

The biggest news on Chinese social media on Friday was widespread anger at what many in China saw as a lockdown-caused tragedy in the city of Urumqi in the western Xinjiang region, where at least 10 persons died from a fire in an apartment block.

More cities in China imposed partial lockdowns on Friday as COVID-19 cases soared to the highest since the pandemic, bringing fresh restrictions for a weary Chinese public.

The National Health Commission on Friday reported 32,695 cases, beating Thursday’s record, which was itself the highest number since April when Shanghai was under a two month-long lockdown.

The Chinese capital, Beijing, reported 1,860 of those cases, and on Friday resembled a ghost town with an increasing number of residential complexes locked down. Offices have been told to close, most schools have shifted to virtual learning, and e-commerce apps struggled to fulfill orders for groceries, bringing back memories for many of the early days of the pandemic in 2020.

If the early lockdowns were tolerated and seen to have spared China the mass deaths seen in many countries, public views, three years on, are markedly different as the economic costs mount from the continued “zero-COVID” regime and China remains an exception from the rest of the world which has learnt to live with the virus having focused on vaccinations. Reinforcing Beijing’s isolation, millions of Chinese in recent days have watched in envy at the crowds gathered in Qatar for the World Cup, with the stark contrast emerging as a major talking point on Chinese social media.

Clashes have broken out in recent days in many cities in China, from riots in the “iPhone hub” of Zhengzhou to clashes in the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou in the south, where residents have opposed prolonged lockdowns.

The government has continued to defend “zero-COVID” and warned that easing the policy would mean a wave of deaths with many unvaccinated elderly. Authorities have not however made any discernible attempt to revive a flagging vaccination booster campaign.

The biggest news on Chinese social media on Friday was widespread anger at what many in China saw as a lockdown-caused tragedy in the city of Urumqi in the western Xinjiang region, where at least 10 persons died from a fire in an apartment block.