Citizens anger over Draconian laws 

On Saturday, a video was released on Chinese state approved messaging service WeChat. The video from the financial district of Pudong showed the metal enclosures built to keep house owners indoors had been brought down by angry citizens. 

China’s extreme zero COVID policies are not working against the new and faster variation of Omicron that has been tearing through the city for nearly a month now. 

Despite holding the world’s most strict and stringent lockdowns, Beijing hoped to cut down the increasing number of infections but to no avail.  

The residents of the financial hub of Shanghai had enough. Despite orders from the government, many citizens had been fed up of being stuck in their homes. Thus they decided to take matters into their own hands. 

Nearly 15,000 new infections were recorded on Thursday in the city of Shanghai, accounting for almost a quarter of the nation’s total infections. 

Governments View 

With the new lockdown policies to be imposed in Beijing, nearly a million more Chinese citizens are about to be affected by China’s draconian zero COVID policies. 

China’s President Xi JingPing gave a statement on Friday reaffirming the communist party’s commitment to the zero COVID policy, while many countries are cutting down lockdowns and trying to live with the virus, China has kept it’s international borders largely shut and it’s citizens under constant census to any type of movement except essential travels. 

Despite the clear toll on economy and daily lives with every day of stringent lockdown, Chinese officials are still keeping up with their draconian zero COVID policies. 

Cases rising 

China’s political bureau has confirmed the economic cost of lockdown on the nation. But has also said that Chinese people should be persistent and be in accord with the government’s instructions to have better effect in controlling the virus. 

Despite low infection rates, officials had erected metal structure around homes where cases had spawned, trying to keep the occupants of the houses indoors. In Pudong people’s anger reached the boiling point on Saturday, thus the barrier’s were smashed open as occupants poured out on the streets defying the government’s orders. 

School children’s in many districts had been instructed to walk to school in PPE kits and in another instance diners in a restaurant were trapped inside after officials decided to drill the doors shut. 

With every passing day China is employing more and more cruel, senseless and draconian zero COVID policies upon its citizens due to which until now nearly 185 million Chinese citizens have been suffering. 

Meanwhile Beijing reported 49 new cases on Thursday as the city held mass testing programme for millions of citizens. Amidst increasing panic Beijing’s officials have declared that they intend to put more harder lockdowns on the districts and cities of the country. 

Conclusion 

With the increasing number of people getting affected by Omicron, the draconian zero COVID policies of China is becoming more and more hard point. Bringing the conditions of the mega cities to such a state that both infected people and healthy citizens are suffering alike. 

The lack of proper medical assistance is also of grave concern to the Chinese authorities as well as the poor supply conditions of food, water and other necessities with supply lines stretched to it’s limit. 

China is failing to be up to date with the new transmission conditions of the new variations of COVID and Omicron. Unless China finds a new approach to its infection problem, things are looking bleak for China’s economy and citizens alike. The zero COVID policies of China have become obsolete in the face of new Omicron variants.