China’s communist propaganda newspaper Global Times declared in a recent editorial post that almost three years of the Communist Party’s “zero-Covid” policy — which entailed locking people up in their homes and dragging thousands into quarantine camps — was “worthwhile,” as Beijing meets with worldwide concern due to an apparent surge in Covid-19 cases at home.
One of the memorable facets of China’s harsh lockdown policy for years on its citizens include abruptly locking down entire metropolitan areas and shutting people in their homes, usually without food or basic medicines. Yet statistics revealed that China’s zero-Covid policies have done more harm to the lives of its citizens than the actual spread of the Covid-19 virus itself. For instance, Breitbart News reported that three people over the age of 87 died due to the coronavirus during a particular time frame, as opposed to many suicides, starvations, and people perishing due to a lack of access to medicine, as well as those killed by denial of medical care at hospitals.
True enough, such brutal lockdown measures brought about great socioeconomic costs and psychological anxieties, arguably worse than the Covid-19 virus itself.
As lockdown measures never seemed to have an end in sight, public resentment piled up. Furious citizens vented their frustrations on social media over challenges obtaining food due to overloaded delivery services as well as the lack of medical care.
Additionally, the recent nationwide protests were the first major demonstrations in years, involving university students, business owners, and the ordinary man on the street. Such a widespread display of public discontent proved that the virus control measures were socially, psychologically, and economically unsustainable and untenable. Should the government fail to ensure the well-being of its people, it could face a wider and longer-term political backlash.
Consequently, the central leadership eventually loosened its zero-Covid policy in response to the protests and riots across the country. Notably, although Communist Party officials maintain that they are not “lying flat” — meaning going back to pre-pandemic freedoms — they have reiterated that they would not return to city-wide lockdowns and would permit people suffering mild coronavirus infections to stay home, instead of hauling them to quarantine camps.
Also, while the protests died down, they have been succeeded by many citizen journalist reports indicating that China is tackling overcrowded morgues, hospitals, and funeral homes as many deaths have happened nationwide. Many reports hint that the dead had severe Covid-19 due to various reasons, such as their newly exposed immune systems.
In wake of all these happenings the Global Times declared that, despite the hardships the lockdowns created, the current situation in the country was “worth the wait.”
“Chinese people believed the three years’ fighting was not in vain, as they have been shielded until [Chinese coronavirus] variants became far less dangerous,” the state newspaper argued, “and they are optimistic of the future and that they are sure the final shock from [Chinese coronavirus] will be weathered smoothly and orderly.”
The news platform added, “Now that China is placed in what experts believed a short-lived quandary of “exit wave,” Western countries, who suffered far worse exit wave after reckless re-opening, are sparing no effort in attacking China’s policy change. Yet many Chinese believe, with a well-coordinated strategy, public’s selfless contribution and Chinese people’s solidarity, China will walk out of the COVID-19 shadow safely, and the debacle of the death tsunami seen in the West will not happen in China.”
Chinese regime-approved specialists even told the Global Times that reports of acute shortages of medical equipment such as ventilators were untrue.
“All the equipment that is needed, including ventilators and monitors, are already in place; doctors with abundant experience in dealing with [Chinese coronavirus] patients are also ready,” a doctor identified as Yin Yong was cited as telling the newspaper.
Based on an infographic published with the article, the Global Times referred to China as “the enormous land is reviving with vigorous vitality.”
“Looking back to the last three years, China has waged a thrilling battle against the epidemic and experienced an arduous historical test,” the newspaper boasted.
Likewise, the Chinese Foreign Ministry echoed the Global Times in justifying its lockdown policies during a regular press briefing addressing a global audience in response to America ‘s offer to share Covid-19 shots with China.
“Over the past nearly three years, by putting people and their lives first, the Chinese government has formulated its [Chinese coronavirus] policy in light of China’s national circumstances to serve the interests of the vast majority of the Chinese people,” spokeswoman Mao Ning said. “Our policy protected people’s lives and health to the maximum extent possible and minimized [the Chinese coronavirus’] impact on socioeconomic development. It achieved the best results at minimum cost.”
Stories gathered by independent outlets such as Radio Free Asia (RFA) indicate that the death toll may be way higher than official figures as hospitals “panic-buy” pivotal ICU equipment and funeral homes grapple with the surge of incoming corpses. Furthermore, Sky News reported that it had found a crematorium in Beijing that seemed particularly assigned to handle coronavirus victims.
“At another crematorium a short drive away, about 20 vans acting as hearses stood in a line, waiting in turn to enter. There was tension in the air too,” the report explained. “Drivers told us the last few days have been busier than normal. They’d been waiting over three hours.”
Besides, police guards have allegedly started to patrol the areas outside crematoriums to prevent social media videos from revealing the situation.
Simply locking the country down or loosening Covid-19 controls is not the ultimate solution to improving the well-being and quality of life of the general Chinese population.Deep-rooted problems such as skyrocketing property prices, massive youth unemployment, worsening psychological health show that easing Covid-19 measures is not the cure-all, nor is implementing harsh lockdowns “worthwhile.”
