COVID Outbreaks Test, China's Zero-COVID Policy.
NPR reports that rising COVID cases seem to have
dashed hopes that the Chinese government's
zero-COVID policies were coming to an end. .
Cities across China are once again locking down,
including in the capital of Beijing, raising questions as to
when the strict COVID policy could eventually phase out.
This is the typical policy dilemma
that the Chinese leaders face. , Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the
Council on Foreign Relations at Seton Hall University, via NPR.
When you relax and open up, it will lead
to chaos, and when you tighten policy,
it will be too rigid to allow any flexibility, Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the
Council on Foreign Relations at Seton Hall University, via NPR.
On November 22, China recorded 28,883
new cases, mostly clustered in the cities
of Guangzhou and Chongqing. .
In response, Guangzhou ordered a five-day lockdown in the populous Baiyun district. .
In Chongqing, the government is racing to construct new
quarantine facilities, with over 5,000 construction
workers putting up a makeshift center in just five days. .
Meanwhile, many cities in China have resumed
mandatory mass COVID testing, which has
renewed concerns about China's faltering economy.
In the port city of Tianjin, residents have
not been allowed to leave their homes
without proof of a negative test. .
The widespread lockdowns and strict restrictions
have led to social unrest, including violent protests
at a Foxconn factory on November 23