By Erin Guo
To date, China has implemented its harshest COVID lockdown for three weeks. In Beijing, they’ve ordered a complete lockdown, and citizens are prevented from going out even to buy necessities such as food.
The government has been sending out rations while other citizens are using delivery services which have been cut back due to restrictions. With almost 90% of China's population fully vaccinated, many people are wondering why the zero COVID policy is still being placed. In China, the death toll caused by COVID remains a little more than 4,600.
However, despite the relatively high vaccination rate in China, only around 50% of its elderly population aged 80 and older have received two or more doses of the vaccine, which is a cause for concern, since the elderly are most vulnerable to getting the virus. This highlights the deadly mistake the Chinese government made when they prioritized vaccines for essential workers first and put the elderly last since they believed that the zero-COVID policy would protect them.
As the lockdown continues, many residents have expressed their frustration and anger at the strict policy. Videos posted on social media showed chaotic scenes of people at stores fighting for food and scrambling to order necessities through delivery apps while others pleaded for help in finding medication.
For some pet owners, quarantine measures are so strict that they are not allowed to take their pets outside. Some residents have protested by standing on their balconies and screaming and singing. However, the government was quick to respond to this cry by flying drones around residential buildings saying "control your soul's thirst for freedom. Do not open your windows and sing."
In addition to these problems, those who’ve had COVID have had to isolate themselves in quarantine with no family contact allowed. This leaves children separated from their parents, triggering a controversy. Responding to the anger, the Shanghai government reacted by allowing parents who were also infected to accompany their children to COVID isolation centers. But those with COVID-free parents are still separated.
On Wednesday, Shanghai health officials allowed parents of children with special requirements who have COVID to be able to be with them but would need to follow certain protocols and sign a waiver. The Shanghai government has also issued guidelines to hospitals and medical institutions and those who want to accompany their children could turn to those institutions.
Shanghai, a city with over 26 million people, is home to the country's largest outbreak, with 23,000 new cases reported on Saturday (AP). Just over 1,000 people report experiencing symptoms while the majority of those cases are asymptomatic. The lockdown has also caused significant staffing shortages at hospitals since workers have been in close contact with COVID. Many relatives of patients at hospitals have reported that their loved ones aren't receiving proper care because some workers have been forced to quarantine.
Edited by William Cao and Vishal Krishnaiah
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