Strict zero-Covid strategy: Beijing closes university because of a corona case

As the rest of the world tries to live with the virus, China remains on a strict zero-Covid strategy. There are currently people in lockdowns in most of the country’s major cities – now Beijing is also sealing off its university. The resentment of the people is growing.

The authorities in the Chinese capital have put Peking University into a lockdown. As the university announced, students and teachers should no longer leave the campus. In addition, mass tests were ordered. The strict measures were imposed after a single corona case had previously been discovered on the premises. Across the country, the authorities reported around 20,000 new infections on Wednesday. Around 370 infections have been reported across Beijing.

As the rest of the world tries to live with the virus, China remains on a strict zero-Covid policy of lockdowns, strict controls, contact tracing and forced quarantine. Nevertheless, the number of new infections has increased sharply again, especially in the past few weeks, while the easily contagious omicron variants are spreading quickly.

In Beijing’s most populous district, Chaoyang, some testing sites have been moved closer to residential areas. Although this increases the total number of test sites, it also led to long waiting times. This is adding to the frustration of the community, as many workplaces and other places continue to require negative test results within 24 hours.

The people’s displeasure with the ongoing strict measures is also growing. Virtually every major city in the country is currently in lockdown. In the southern Chinese economic metropolis of Guangzhou, there are protests among the population amid a significant increase in the number of corona cases.

Crowds broke corona lockdowns in the city on Monday evening and marched through the streets, according to videos published on the Internet showing chaotic scenes. Among the recent outbreaks in the People’s Republic, Guangzhou, also known as the “factory of the world” and with a population of almost 19 million, is the city with the most cases.