State media reported that 84 homes in an apartment complex in Guangzhou’s Liwan district had been opened in an effort to find any “close contacts” hiding inside and disinfect the premises. The doors were later sealed and new locks installed, the Global Times newspaper reported. The Liwan district government apologized on Monday for such “exaggerated and violent” behavior, the newspaper said. An investigation has been launched and “relevant people” will be severely punished, he said. China’s leadership has maintained a tough “zero-Covid” policy despite mounting economic costs and disruption to the lives of citizens, who continue to be subject to routine testing and quarantines even as the rest of the world has opened up. with the disease. Numerous cases of police and health workers raiding homes across China in the name of anti-Covid-19 measures have been documented on social media. In some, doors have been broken down and residents threatened with punishment, even after testing negative for the virus. Authorities have called for keys to lock out residents of apartment blocks where cases have been identified, steel barriers to keep out their compounds and iron bars welded over doors. China’s communist leaders exercise tight control over the government, the police, and the levers of social control. Most citizens are affected by the lack of privacy and restrictions on freedom of speech and the right to assembly. But strict measures against Covid-19 have tested that tolerance, particularly in Shanghai, where a ruthless and often chaotic lockdown has sparked protests online and in person among those unable to access food, healthcare and basic necessities. Authorities in Beijing have taken a softer approach, worried about sparking unrest in the capital ahead of a major party congress later this year in which President and party leader Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third five-year term amid a radically slowing economy. growth and high unemployment among college graduates and immigrant workers. The requirement that only vaccinated people could enter public spaces was quickly overturned last week after city residents complained that it had been announced without warning and was unfair to those who had not been vaccinated. “Zero-Covid” has been justified as necessary to prevent a wider outbreak among a population that has had relatively little exposure to the virus and less natural immunity. Although the vaccination rate in China hovers around 90%, it is significantly lower among the elderly, and questions have been raised about the effectiveness of China’s domestic vaccines. China’s national borders remain largely closed, and although domestic tourism has increased, travel across the country remains subject to a series of regulations, with quarantine restrictions in place all the time. In a recent incident, 2,000 visitors to the southern tourist hub of Beihai were forced to extend their stay after more than 500 cases were found and were banned from leaving. China regulates travel and access to public spaces through a health code app on citizens’ smartphones that must be updated with regular tests. The app tracks a person’s movements as a form of contact tracing, allowing for further enforcement of public surveillance. The measures remain in place despite relatively low infection rates. The National Health Commission announced on Tuesday 699 new cases of domestic transmission detected in the previous 24 hours, most of which were asymptomatic.
