5600 new corona infections: In Germany, no one would bat an eyelash in view of such numbers. In China, however, they terrify people. Because the government is still sticking to its zero-Covid strategy. For many, that means weeks of isolation.
In a global comparison, the latest corona numbers in China seem almost ridiculous: the health authorities there are currently reporting just 5,600 new infections. In countries like Germany, that would at most cause a tired smile, where the Robert Koch Institute registered almost 40,000 new cases over the weekend. For the Chinese, however, it is shocking news. Because the state is still reacting to every single Covid case with draconian coercive measures.
Despite constant lockdowns in recent weeks, the number of daily Covid cases in China is at its highest level in more than six months. Virus outbreaks are flaring up across the country. For local people, this means closed businesses, closed schools and strict quarantine. In some places, residents are not even allowed to take out their rubbish unless they notify them in advance.
It is the third year of China’s strict zero-Covid strategy. Initially, the country was able to record great successes in the fight against the virus. The authorities intervened resolutely in the smallest suspected cases, thousands of people were arrested for a single infection, but the rest of the population was able to move relatively freely – at least within the country. But with the advent of the much more contagious but less deadly omicron variant, the situation changes abruptly. It is hardly possible to effectively eradicate sources of infection.
Since the beginning of the year, hundreds of millions of people in different cities have been stuck in their apartments, sometimes for months. Authorities recently imposed a lockdown in the area around the factory in the world’s largest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, central China, after a corona outbreak. People are “not allowed to leave their homes – except to take corona tests and receive emergency medical treatment,” said representatives of the industrial area. The more than 600,000 residents must test themselves for the coronavirus every day, the local government said, warning that it would take “firm” action against violations. In other regions of China, entire districts with millions of inhabitants are currently cordoned off.
The population has long since lost confidence in the authorities. Again and again those affected report poor quarantine conditions, food shortages and delayed emergency care. Most recently, the death of a 55-year-old woman in the sealed-off city of Hohhot caused outrage. She threw herself out the window of her locked apartment, even though her family had previously told authorities she had an anxiety disorder and was suicidal. Audio recordings of her daughter’s desperate plea to unlock the door were shared widely on online networks.
Many of the increasingly strict corona measures are absurdly removed from any scientific basis. According to media reports, so-called “temporary quarantine corners” have recently been observed in Shanghai and Beijing. These are small one-person tents in which passers-by are locked up in subway stations or at street crossings if they cannot show a “green health code” on their smartphone. There, people then either have to wait for their negative PCR test – or the quarantine bus that takes them to centralized isolation camps.
Health officials dampened hopes that China would ease its zero-tolerance policy toward the virus over the weekend. In view of the increasingly serious outbreaks, China will “undeterred” by its current virus controls, the National Health Commission said at the weekend.
The state newspaper “People’s Daily” and the news agency Xinghua have been drumming into people for days that there is no alternative to the “dynamic zero”, as the corona policy is now called. Various articles warn of the dangers of a relaxation. China is a large country with 1.4 billion people, regionally unbalanced development and a lack of medical resources. A large-scale return of the virus would have “serious effects on economic and social development”, according to the justification for continuing the previous course.
The main problem is that China does not have an effective vaccine against Corona. Only the native inactivated vaccines are permitted. As the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reports, according to an international health expert, these are “not so bad” – but they would have to be refreshed much more frequently than the western mRNA vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna. The man had therefore worked with the Chinese authorities and does not want to jeopardize this relationship of trust through public criticism.
However, the Communist leadership has long refused to buy effective vaccines from abroad. During a visit to Beijing, Chancellor Olaf Scholz was able to persuade Head of State Xi Jinping to rethink – at least partially. After all, foreigners can now officially be vaccinated with Biontech. “Of course, this can only be a first step,” said Scholz. “I hope that the circle of beneficiaries can soon be expanded, right up to the general free availability of the material.”
However, it is questionable whether general approval of the mRNA vaccine would actually mean a departure from the strict zero-Covid policy. After all, it has long been about proving that the Chinese Communist Party is capable of defeating the virus. This leaves little room for a middle ground – a gradual opening up while continuing to selectively test, track and isolate. Instead, the authorities are calling for “confidence and patience”.
However, many Chinese seem to be running out of patience. In a rare show of public defiance, unidentified bystanders unfurled a banner on a bridge in Beijing three weeks ago, Bloomberg news agency reported. Among other things, it said: “We want food, no PCR tests. We want freedom, no lockdowns and controls.” Photos of the incident were then quickly removed from the Chinese network.
Not only is dissatisfaction among the population growing, the economy is also suffering from the constant lockdowns. The supply chains have stabilized to some extent since the chaos in spring. Nevertheless, for the first time in more than two years, China’s exports fell unexpectedly in October. German companies have been complaining for a long time that the lockdowns, which are often announced at very short notice, make their production and planning significantly more difficult. As in the previous month, China’s trade with Germany again fell noticeably by 5.7 percent in October. And domestically, the situation is no better: The uncertainty has driven the Chinese consumer mood to the bottom. Many small businesses are struggling to survive, people worry about their jobs, always afraid of a red warning message in their Corona app.