Lockdown in Xi’an
China locks 13 million people in their homes, but food deliveries don’t get everywhere
A helper prepares food deliveries for the residents of Xi’an. Since last week, the residents are no longer allowed to go shopping themselves and have to hope for deliveries from the Chinese government.
© Liu Xiao / Xinhua / AP
After a few corona cases, the Chinese city of Xi’an has been in a tough lockdown since December 23, residents are only allowed to leave their homes for testing. Now there are increasing reports of lack of food deliveries.
It is the toughest lockdown in China since the outbreak of the corona pandemic in Wuhan in spring 2020: The Chinese government has now issued a strict curfew for the 13 million residents of Xi’an for twelve days. 1,600 corona cases have been registered in the metropolis in central China since the outbreak in mid-December – a very high number by Chinese standards. Since the pandemic began, there have been only 100,000 cases in the country with 1.4 billion inhabitants, according to official information. For comparison: On Monday, the USA recorded more than a million corona cases for the first time – and that in a single day. A look at Yuzhou shows how strictly China is proceeding with corona cases: The metropolis was also sent into lockdown after three confirmed cases. (Read more about this here)
In the beginning it was still allowed to leave the apartment in Xi’an every three days to go shopping, the authorities have tightened the measures again despite the falling number of infections. On social media, there are increasing reports from those affected that they are only allowed to leave the house for the mandatory corona tests, supermarkets and kiosks also had to close. Food can only be ordered; the government has taken care of the citizens. But that’s more bad than right.
China: Orders do not reach citizens in Xi’an
According to a report by the “Tagesschau”, more and more citizens are complaining that for days they have only been given instant noodles and their orders have not arrived. “It has been over a week since we were able to leave our residential complex, and the district government has so far not organized any meat, milk or other food,” another local resident was quoted as saying by the “RND”. A video posted on Twitter on New Year’s Eve shows residents having a heated discussion with police officers. In it, a man declares that his family has run out of food. The voice of a woman can also be heard complaining that they had queued for three to four hours for food, but that the sale was no longer permitted.
However, the Chinese government does not want to know anything about the food shortage: Through its state media it shows pictures of human chains bringing bags of groceries into a residential area. Indeed, local residents are being provided with free food, but more and more people are complaining that deliveries have been delayed or have not arrived at all. Another video shows several trucks bringing vegetables, fruit and pork belly into a housing estate, according to the US government-funded broadcaster Radio Free Asia. A PR stunt that backfired: Because the address given in the report is that of government officials in Shaanxi Province, several social media users found out and caused indignation. “Where can normal people find something like that,” a resident named Song is quoted as saying on “Radio Free Asia”. She only got one Chinese cabbage, one courgette, four peppers, three bulbs of garlic, a piece of ginger, two spring onions and three potatoes.
Barter is flourishing in Xi’an
According to the “BBC”, a real barter has broken out in Xi’an to get food. On the Internet, residents would swap dish soap for apples, cigarettes for Chinese cabbage and cotton swabs for potatoes. There is even a video circulating on the Chinese social media platform Weibo in which someone swaps a game console for food. However, anyone who leaves the apartment faces penalties. Another video shows a young man being beaten up by security forces. Driven by hunger, he had left his apartment to get steamed noodles. According to “Radio Free Asia”, around 40,000 police officers are currently on duty in the city to keep an eye on the residential complexes and to ensure compliance with the corona measures.
In the rest of the country, too, the authorities ensure that the corona rules are strictly adhered to. Especially in Beijing, where the Winter Olympics are starting in a month’s time, there are major hurdles to be faced. The winter games should take place in a complete bubble without external contact – athletes who tested positive are then threatened with a lengthy quarantine in the hotel room. By then, the residents of Xi’an hope to be out of lockdown again, on Monday the authorities reported 90 new corona infections. However, with China’s hard line, the city is still far from an end to the lockdown. This is only lifted when there are no new infections.
Sources: BBC, daily News, RND, Radio Free Asia