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Coronavirus China
ChinaPolitics

Coronavirus: how Chinese are coping with zero-Covid panic and confusion

  • As cases rise under relaxed restrictions, many residents are stockpiling medical supplies and bracing for the worst
  • Amid mixed signals from authorities, experts advise calm, while others share their Covid stories

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China’s stringent zero-Covid measures have been the pillar of its anti-epidemic strategy, but rising cases appear to be putting it under pressure. Photo: Xinhua
Phoebe Zhang

Over the past few days, Zhuang Ling has been diligently stockpiling medicines, masks, and even an oxygen machine at her Beijing home.

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“I know that I went a little extreme, buying a lot of unnecessary items, but I would feel more relieved knowing I have them,” she said.

Zhuang is not alone in her instincts to hoard vital Covid-19 supplies. Many in China have begun to speculate whether the country might begin to shift from its strict zero-Covid policy, either by choice or because it no longer has a choice.

For most of the pandemic, China’s stringent zero-Covid measures have been the pillar of its anti-epidemic strategy, with no indication that it would change. But recently, those expectations have begun to see a drastic overhaul.

On November 11, the State Council, China’s cabinet, unveiled a 20-point plan to slightly ease the country’s rigid pandemic measures, including shortening the quarantine period for domestic and international travellers, ending contact tracing for secondary contacts, and banning arbitrary mass testing in low-risk areas.

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Covid lockdowns spark rare protest in southern Chinese city of Guangzhou

Covid lockdowns spark rare protest in southern Chinese city of Guangzhou

The announcement also coincided with a sharp spike in coronavirus cases in China, which saw daily infections rise to more than 25,000 on Friday. At the end of last month, the daily case count was about 1,000.

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