China’s ‘zero-Covid’ strategy boomerangs as cases rise: residents ‘unhappy’ with lockdowns

China has been undergoing a tumultuous wave of Covid-19 cases, the worst since the start of the spread of infections in 2019 making the residents question its ‘zero-covid’ strategy that the government credited itself with to bring the country out of the pandemic. The rapidly mounting cases, moreover, are forcing mass lockdowns like those seen in 2020.

On Sunday, Shanghai recorded 3,500 cases and the cumulative total of China was 6,215 positives.

Policymakers are facing the worst dilemma as authorities have asked to come out with a strategy that contains spread without derailing the economy of the country a report said citing analysts at research firm Trivium China. A road map is being created to ease the “zero covid” approach with more targeted and short-lived containment protocols, Chinese officials had informed. Moreover, as a part of modifying the treatment protocols, asymptomatic patients are isolated in centralized facilities instead of hospitals. The government has also approved antigen kits.

Chinese financial hub of Shanghai announced a lockdown, one half at a time, after denying for weeks that blanket restrictions will be imposed on the city’s 25 million residents.

Trivium China’s reports further mentioned that major changes in the country’s “dynamic clearing strategy” to eliminate the virus before the 20th party Congress in October are unlikely in order to preserve China’s sterling record in Covid control and maintain social stability.

China’s strict restrictions in the third year of the pandemic did not go well with other nations with high vaccination rates where despite the higher number of cases, blanket lockdowns are not being imposed. Many in China, too, are finding it difficult to understand its strategy.

Locals in Shanghai are fed up with rapids shifts in policy. A senior epidemiologist’s, microblog Weibo that questioned China’s control measures got 500 million views. A Shanghai resident who was in 48-hour isolation and then four more days at home complained about the sudden shifts in lockdown plans.

Public anger continues over poorly managed lockdowns and unnecessary harm caused by them. Last week, the death of a nurse due to asthma after being refused admission to a hospital drew much flak among residents of Shanghai.

People are showing resistance towards lockdowns with online comedy, loosely modeled on the Soviet Union jokes about the secret police and comparing enforcers of covid policy to “epidemic prevention hobbyists, the report said.