Chinese province of Xinjiang: Massive protests against corona policy

Status: 11/26/2022 11:36 am

Large parts of Xinjiang province have been in a corona lockdown for more than 100 days. The atmosphere is tense. A house fire has now sparked serious protests against the government’s measures.

By Eva Lamby-Schmitt, ARD Studio Shanghai

Videos circulated in Chinese online media during the night showing residents of the city of Urumqi, capital of China’s Xinjiang region, breaking down corona-related barriers on the streets and calling for an end to the lockdown. Media reports confirm that there were protests against the Corona measures in the city. The Chinese part of Xinjiang, which is home to the Muslim Uyghur minority, has been sealed off for more than 100 days because of Corona.

Fire brigade held up by roadblocks

The protests were triggered by a fire in a high-rise building in which ten people died. Comments from local residents abounded on the Chinese Internet that the corona measures had hindered and delayed the work of the fire brigade. Video footage from Chinese state media showed fire engines standing in front of corona-related roadblocks that first had to be cleared.

Almost a third of the Chinese population is probably in the corona lockdown

Tamara Anthony, ARD Beijing, daily news at 8:00 p.m., November 25, 2022

The number of corona infections in China has reached record levels in the past few days. The Chinese authorities recently reported around 35,000 new infections nationwide in one day. This is the highest value since the pandemic began almost three years ago. Compared to other countries and the large population in China of 1.4 billion people, the number of infections is comparatively low.

No exit strategy from the zero Covid policy

The Chinese state and party leadership has adhered to a strict zero-Covid policy since the beginning of the pandemic. Every outbreak should be contained with contact tracing, forced isolation in central accommodation, exit restrictions in cities with a population of over a million and travel bans. According to estimates, more than 400 million people in China are currently in a kind of lockdown.

Again and again there are protests in various places that are affected by the strict measures. There is no exit strategy from the zero Covid policy. In China, millions of older people are not sufficiently vaccinated against Corona. If the virus spreads unchecked, the health system could collapse, this is how the Chinese state and party leadership justifies the strict measures.

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