China's Chaotic U-Turn on Zero-Covid

Men dressed in hazmat suits don't have much to do these days

After Beijing lifted several Covid-19 restrictions, people in China are terrified of going out or they have caught the virus and are self-isolating themselves.

If people are out on the streets, they are desperately trying to secure medicine to treat their symptoms, and in some cases are scouring supermarkets because they believe canned peaches can somehow cure them of Covid-19 even though the government has debunked the rumour.

Canned peaches rumoured to cure Covid-19

Meanwhile, hospitals are overwhelmed by patients coming in, some Covid-19 positive, others fearing they have the symptoms; healthcare workers have no choice but to continue working even if they have Covid.

At Haidian Hospital in Beijing, there was a sign at the pharmacy window that read: "All pharmacists on duty are sick -- please bear with us."

"A lot of doctors are sick with Covid-19 as well but have to report for duty because otherwise the hospital cannot open," a hospital administrator said, declining to be identified. "We must keep the hospital up and running."

The chaotic sudden U-turn on zero-Covid has resulted in businesses unable to open or function properly, affecting not only small shops, but also factories supplying to global supply chains.

Health officials and state media have urged people not to panic and manage their symptoms at home unless they are seriously ill. In its news stories and editorials, state media have tried to play down the virus, when for almost three years it had repeatedly told people to be fearful of the virus and how it was deadly.

Long lines to buy medicine in pharmacies

But it seems China had no plan for a gradual opening by making sure a higher percentage of the elderly were inoculated and in particular with foreign-made mRNA vaccines. Instead people are left to their own devices and many are terrified.

The Financial Times is reporting that Hong Kong health experts were consulted about how to reopen just before the protests happened in China. What advice did they give and was it followed exactly? Winter is not the best time to reopen with influenza going around too, along with not enough people vaccinated. It's a right royal mess.

One has to wonder -- is Beijing doing this to say to the people, "You are tired of the Covid-19 restrictions then fine! Now you can have your so-called freedom! Do you see how chaotic everything is? Is this how you want your country to be post-Covid?"

The abrupt changes are so overwhelming for everyone that one wonders if Beijing actually knows what it's doing, or it is using this opening up to punish everyone?

Students Perpetuate Protester's Words

Protest posters, Central Saint Martins, London

The fallout from Thursday's one-man protest has led to censorship in China as expected, while others outside the country carry on the mantle.

A man dressed in construction worker uniform lit a fire on Sitong Bridge in Haidian district in northwest Beijing, and unfurled white banners with red Chinese characters denouncing Xi Jinping as a dictator, expressing frustrations with the zero-Covid policy, and explicitly not calling for revolution but reforms. 

Pic of Thursday's protest

He did this just days before the twice-in-a-decade National Congress of the Communist Party of China, where Xi is expected to extend his rule for at least another five years, if not more.

Many in the middle class worry this means more of the same as the past 10 years and it's not the direction they want to go.

But this one-man protest was quickly snuffed out, with police arriving soon after to take down the banners and put the alleged protester into a car, where no one knows what has happened to him since.

However, his words live on.

Chinese students in various universities overseas have taken those protester's words and created posters they have put all over their respective campuses.

The tertiary institutions include: Stanford, The George Washington University, University of Glasgow, UNC Chapel Hill, University of Notre Dame, Amherst College, and McGill University.

These students on the outside have either experienced the extreme zero-Covid measures, or haven't been able to go home because of them, and have seen family and friends suffering from severe lockdowns and worry about them not only having enough to eat, but also their well-being from being isolated for so long.

Protest inspired posters like these

So it's no wonder they were inspired by this one-man protest and are continuing it outside China.

What has happened to to Sitong bridge man? No one knows but hopefully he will somehow find out his words have spread like weeds, organically sprouting everywhere. He has definitely helped openly sow the seeds of discontent. And for Xi to be deaf to these calls could be the end of him...

 

One-Man Protest in Beijing

Smoke could be seen with protest banners on Sitong Bridge

Days before the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and a brazen protest was held on a bridge on the fourth ring road near Haidian in northwest Beijing.

Around 1pm on Thursday a white banner with red Chinese characters had the words:

The protester and his banners were taken down

"Depose the Traitorous Dictator Xi Jinping"

"We don't want nucleic acid tests, we want food"

"We want freedom, not lockdowns"

"We want votes, not leaders"

"We want dignity, not lies"

"We are citizens, not slaves"

There was something burning on the bridge with black smoke, apparently a bid to attract attention.

Soon after the banners were unfurled, the police arrived and someone -- a man? -- was put into a vehicle and taken away.

That person had the guts to say what a lot of people have been thinking since the pandemic, if not longer. He also does not want Xi to continue his rule for a third term -- or even longer.

Banner calls for "dictator" Xi to be deposed

Now on social media people are asking "Is Sitong man safe?" with a reference to the intersection where the incident happened. 

What will happen to this person is anyone's guess, and managing to pull off this stunt in Beijing just before a big political event is impressive to say the least. But the punishment may be tough. He knew the consequences but did it anyway, to great effect.

Did Xi get the message?

We will find out in a few days' time.