As China’s strict Covid lockdowns stir public outrage, some citizens in Guangzhou, one of the country’s largest cities, organized rare protests against the strict measures.
In a video shared on Twitter, some residents are seen overturning a police truck and knocking down Covid control fences. Riot squads have been dispatched to the area.
Hong Kong Economic Journal reports that the protests occurred in various industrialized village districts around the city, but mostly in poor areas populated by migrant workers. The city has been under lockdown since last month.
The residents have been fighting with the Covid-19 prevention enforcement agents deployed in the area many times, which led to the mass act of rebellion on the streets.
According to the protesters, testing companies are fabricating PCR results to artificially increase the number of patients in order to generate more money. They have complained about not getting paid if they are unable to show up for work, as well as food shortages and high cost of living while under Covid management.
Two more districts have been placed under lockdown as the infections surged to 5,124 on Monday. China has so far reported more than 18,000 new Covid cases locally.
Local governments across China are grappling with how to maintain a zero-Covid policy without destroying their businesses. The most recent official manufacturing output and retail sales numbers demonstrate the devastating impact of the epidemic and the government’s policy reaction. So far, there are no provinces that have reported zero infections.
Since Monday, the majority of the street-side testing booths in Beijing’s Chaoyang district have been shut down and relocated within housing compounds. The number of PCR stations has also dropped abruptly.
Many fearful villagers have stocked up on Chinese medications claimed to assist with Covid illness. For the time being, the medicine supply in the city is nearly depleted.
