As China intensifies its zero-Covid policy ahead of a significant Communist Party meeting, the Chinese metropolis of Chengdu ordered a broad city-wide lockdown on Thursday evening, relegating 21 million citizens to their homes. The decision to shut down the megacity in response to the reporting of more than 700 incidents the previous week served as a stark reminder of the extent the nation is willing to go in order to uphold the zero-tolerance policy espoused by leader Xi Jinping.
Additionally, it happened in spite of earlier attempts by officials to dispel rumors of such a lockdown, with police arresting one homeowner who was allegedly making "provocative statements" on social media.All residents must remain at home starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, with the exception of mandatory Covid testing. According to the city authority, there will be widespread testing from Thursday to Sunday.According to locals on social media, the city's computerized system used to register Covid tests has repeatedly collapsed due to the sudden rush of entries, causing long lineups at some testing facilities.
With a negative test, households are allowed to send one person out for grocery shopping once per day. Residents who need emergency assistance, such as medical attention, must get permission from the neighborhood committee.
Except for pharmacies, hospitals, and supermarkets, all enterprises must be closed. Restaurant dining is likewise being discontinued; only takeout are permitted.Since the excruciating two-month lockdown that ended in June in Shanghai, the 25 million-person financial center, this is China's largest city-wide shutdown.
As it prepared to go into lockdown in late March, Shanghai was reporting thousands of infections every day. Chengdu only reported 156 cases on Wednesday.Chengdu's lockdown, which was announced hours before it began, caused panic buying throughout the city. Social media users have posted images of crowded markets.Similar incidents earlier in the week after social media rumors that authorities were preparing a shutdown sparked the panic buying were followed by similar events.
On Monday, a user with the WeChat user name "Tropical Forest" from Chengdu stated in a group chat that officials will consider whether to implement a lockdown during an evening meeting. Screenshots of his chats were leaked and quickly went popular on social media, causing residents to rush to the supermarkets to buy food and other essentials.
The WeChat user with the last name She, according to Chengdu police, posted "provocative comments" on Tuesday, which led to alarm among the public and interfered with efforts to avert an outbreak. For "picking fights and causing disturbance," she was imprisoned for 15 days and fined 1,000 yuan.The Chinese populace, while originally in favor of the zero-tolerance policy, has grown more impatient with the never-ending restrictions placed on their daily lives. Public outrage and resentment have increased as a result of the policy's frequently brutal and disorganized application by municipal administrations. This sending a very strong signal to the rest of the world of how strong COVID-19 is and that it isn't that eradicated yet,also on the edge of encouragement to follow COVID-19 precautions so as to live a safer life.
References
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/09/01/china/china-covid-sichuan-lockdown-intl-hnk/index.html