Chinese govt firm on following Zero Covid policy despite resentment among many people

Chinese officials have said that the government will "unswervingly" continue following its "zero COVID" policy. The decision of Chinese authorities might disappoint the people who were hoping that government would ease restrictions that have impacted the economy of China and strained the patience of people.

The decision of the government to adhere to its "dynamic clearing policy" comes after two deaths related to the restrictions reignited anger among people, The Washington Post reported.

Since the pandemic began, Chinese authorities have followed the "zero COVID approach", which includes conducting mass testing, imposing lockdown and travel restrictions to control the spread of COVID-19.

Last week, a three-year-old boy in Lanzhou died of carbon monoxide poisoning after it took his parents two hours to reach the hospital due to COVID-19 curbs, the Post added.

As per local media reports, the three-year-old child died shortly after he reached the hospital. After his death, a 55-year-old woman died by suicide after she was confined in her apartment for nine days by officials, The Washington Post reported.

The woman jumped from her window in Hohhot in Inner Mongolia after her locality was placed under lockdown and her apartment was sealed by the officials.

People have been criticizing the zero COVID policy followed by Chinese authorities and blaming local officials and health workers for its poor implementation.

"As ordinary people, we silently cooperate and exercise restraint, but we clearly feel some kind of discontent. In a pandemic, life is the most important. We should strike a balance between freedom and rules. Shouldn't the rules also have limits?" The Washington Post report quoted one of the WeChat users as saying on Monday.

However, senior Chinese officials have defended the approach followed by the government citing the high number of deaths reported due to coronavirus in the United States and other nations.

Amid the public anger over coronavirus measures, Chinese Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng on Saturday, November 5, called for improving the level of "scientific precision" in COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the government.

Health authorities directed local officials to not exercise "improper" practices, which include forcing people from low-risk regions to quarantine and imposing travel curbs in areas that are not at high risk.

After the Chinese spokesperson's announcement, Apple on Sunday announced that it expects lower shipments of iPhone 14s due to "significantly reduced capacity" at its factory in the Zhengzhou region of China.

According to the Chinese Health Commission, as of November 8, a total of 265,013 COVID-19 cases have been reported in China since the pandemic emerged. Of these, 252,543 patients had been cured and discharged from the hospital while 5,226 deaths have died due to the pandemic .

( With inputs from ANI )