BEIJING: China’s communist party had become ‘stupid’ as the country has reported at least 1000 new Covid cases daily, resulting in the failure of the zero-Covid policy.
After the nomination of Chinese President Xi Jinping for the third term in October, people hoped that they would get some relief from the policy but with its daily number of Covid cases, the residents are afraid of the repetition of lockdown, The Hong Kong Post reported.
While the country failed to prevent the country from again falling into the covid numbers, the frustration of people is increasing on daily basis. China is currently witnessing a spike in the number of protests. People are demonstrating against harsh lockdowns and the zero-covid policy in China.
Unrest has recently increased in at least a dozen major Chinese cities, primarily as a result of discontent with the government’s harsh measures to reduce coronavirus infections, according to the Washington Post swiftly. This unrest was triggered by the Urumqi incident where 10 people lost their lives, according to the Hong Kong Post.
On November 24, a fire tore through a residential building in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region’s capital Urumqi. After the incident, citizens circulated the videos on the internet space, with residents screaming and demanding authorities to open exits. The residents said that they were closed under strict COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place for more than 100 days and have caused widespread hardship.
Not only this, the videos shot at Foxconn’s flagship iPhone plant in China also went viral where men and women were captured marching with some of them confronted by people in Hazmat suits and riot police, Reuters reported citing videos circulated on social media.
The protests in China mark an escalation of unrest at the massive factory in Zhengzhou city. The workers were frustrated with the delayed bonus payments, as the demonstrators said on Livestream feeds. The videos could not be immediately verified by Reuters. This protest symbolizes a dangerous build-up of frustration with the country’s ultra-harsh COVID rules as well as the inept handling of the situation by the world’s largest contract manufacturer.
The workers surrounded by people in full Hazmat suits with some carrying batons, chanted “Give us our pay!” according to the footage showed. While another footage showed tear gas being deployed and workers taking down quarantine barriers. Some workers had complained that they were forced to share dormitories with colleagues who had tested positive for COVID-19, Reuters reported.
The zero-Covid policy has forced thousands of people to live in inhuman conditions in China, causing fear, anger and confusion among the people. Under the zero-Covid policy mandated by President Xi Jinping, cities and localities have to undergo strict lockdowns and people shifted to quarantine centres from areas reporting any positive cases. In almost all cities, including Beijing, testing is mandatory for all citizens. Without a negative test result, people cannot enter public places, restaurants and markets, according to Hong Kong Post. (ANI)
