Beijing First, the authorities use loudspeaker announcements and lawn sprinklers to scare Beijing residents away from the green spaces along the Liangma River in the heart of the city. When they continue to meet outside and have picnics in the best summer weather, a sign is hung on about every second tree that says: “Avoid crowds.”
When a few people were still sitting outside next to each other the next day, the authorities had a large, green fence built around the promenade. There are now guards at their entrances and exits. Only those who can show a health code are allowed to walk along the river – always under the watchful eyes of the law enforcement officers.
While the rest of the world slowly returns to everyday life, measures to contain the virus are at a peak in China. Schools, offices, restaurants and even most public parks in Beijing have been largely closed since early May. There are hardly any cars on the streets and significantly fewer passers-by than usual.
The reason is the outbreak of the pandemic in China, which has been going on for months and has been the most severe since the beginning of 2020. The government in Beijing is sticking to its zero-case strategy and paralyzing large parts of the country with draconian preventive measures.
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Beijing is not an isolated case. The economic metropolis of Shanghai was hit even harder. The city has been largely sealed off since the beginning of April. Most of the 25 million inhabitants are still only allowed to leave their homes in exceptional cases and with permission, despite several promises of relaxation. At the beginning of June, individual schools in the city are supposed to open again. The Beijing government also announced the first easing on Saturday. The first shopping malls were allowed to reopen on Sunday, and a few people should be allowed to return to their offices on Monday. However, restaurants and schools have remained closed.
Beyond the well-known metropolises in other parts of the country, there has been a state of emergency for weeks. The displeasure of the population is growing in view of the ongoing closures. Young people in particular have little understanding of the draconian measures.
In mid-May, there were protests at Peking University that were very unusual for the People’s Republic. Videos show students protesting against the guidelines. They were no longer allowed to leave the campus for epidemic protection. In cities like Beijing’s neighboring city of Tianjin, students have recently protested loudly against the measures there.
Others protest on a small scale. “Yes, yes, he’s just doing his job,” says a young Chinese, who is having a picnic with his friends and children by the river in the middle of the city – despite the ban. Two police officers just came by for the second time to tell them not to sit together.
The law enforcement officers will come two more times, then with reinforcements. Nevertheless, everyone stays. There are no consequences. A few days later, dozens of young Chinese gather under cover of darkness for a celebration by the river, with dancing and loud music playing.
Quarantine for all building residents
It’s their way of showing the state leadership what they think of the strict rules. But they cannot really defend themselves against most of the measures. Since the end of April, each of the 22 million residents of Beijing has had to take a Covid test every two to three days. Small booths and tents are set up all over the city, where long queues form on the set dates.
Anyone who tests positive must be in quarantine – and with them all the residents of the building in which the infected person lives. On Sunday, more than 400 buildings or entire residential complexes in Beijing were sealed off in this way, according to an app that warns of the areas. In China, lockdown means that residents are not allowed to leave their homes for days – not even to go to the supermarket or doctor.
The authorities rely on surveillance. “Hey, scan this,” says a security guard to a resident in front of the entrance to her condominium. The woman pulls out her cell phone and uses an app on her smartphone to scan a QR code. Only then can she enter the building.
The residents of the city have to go to the corona test every two to three days.
(Photo: dpa)
Blue tents are set up around the residential complex. Dozens of security guards in black uniforms control all entrances to the buildings. Until recently, the approximately 8,000 residents were not allowed to leave their homes at all. Despite the security guards, who were wrapped in white protective suits at the exits, additional electronic devices were attached to the apartment doors, as residents reported in an interview with the Handelsblatt. They reported when someone opened the door.
At one of the entrances to the residential complex with around 38 buildings, there is a large shelf with the numbers of the individual houses written on it – this is where the residents’ deliveries are sorted during the lockdown. He distributed around 200 of them a day during the lockdown, says one of the helpers in the white protective suit.
>>Read here: From lockdown to lockdown – How China’s Covid strategy is wearing down the country
After 14 days, people were allowed to leave their homes again – but only to a limited extent. Li Jiayi, one of the residents, has a kind of pass on her cell phone that authorizes her to leave her apartment. “We were instructed to minimize our exits,” she says.
The 22-year-old had just started her new job as a waitress at a nearby restaurant when the lockdown hit. The restaurant is still closed. Therefore, she does not receive a salary. But her employer sends her free meals and provides her with the apartment, which she shares with two other colleagues, Li says.
disaster for small business owners
The economic consequences of the lockdown are already fatal today. In addition to the large companies who are struggling to move their goods due to transport restrictions within China or are affected by production stops, small business owners have also been hit hard by the lockdowns. Just like Wang Yuejiao. The 36-year-old runs a simple restaurant in Beijing’s Fangshan district. Before the pandemic, she says, she had around 30 guests a day. No one has come since the lockdown.
More Handelsblatt articles on Chinese corona policy
Beijingers are still allowed to order food. Because her restaurant is too far away, she hardly got any orders. “We have already decided not to continue the restaurant, but have not been able to find a successor,” says Wang. She doesn’t know how she and her family are going to make a living without the restaurant.
Rising unemployment could yet become a major problem for the state leadership. At an emergency meeting on Wednesday, China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang called for more effort with unusual clarity so that the People’s Republic could continue to grow this year despite the corona measures.
The sharp rise in the unemployment rate, which had soared to 6.1 percent in April, unusually high by Chinese standards, will have serious consequences, he warned. Jumps are tolerable in the short term. However, if the problem lasts longer than a quarter, it will become dangerous.
One thing Li didn’t mention in his incendiary speech, however: that the state leadership will move away from the zero-case strategy and the draconian measures that go with it in the near future. The residents of the People’s Republic will probably have to prepare for further months of closures.
More: Stiko recommends Covid-19 vaccination for children aged five to eleven