Contradictory COVID-19 Control Policies Cause Chaos Across China as Cases Surge
Reported cases of COVID-19 in China have hit record highs in recent days amid growing public discontent over the regime’s strict control measures. Meanwhile, the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to issue contradictory messages about when to loosen the restrictions, which analysts believe has caused chaos in the control of COVID-19 in various regions.
With the newly reported infections, China recorded a total of 32,943 locally transmitted cases on Nov. 24. However, since the CCP has always concealed the scale of the outbreak, it is difficult for the outside world to know the real numbers.
Major cities across China have raised the level of epidemic controls. Shijiazhuang City, the provincial capital of Hebei, has required all residents to stay at home since Nov. 21 and to undergo five PCR tests in five days. Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan, was put under lockdown from Nov. 25 to 29. People in Beijing Daxing District and Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone were ordered to not leave their communities on Nov. 23. In mega city Chongqing in the southwest, all residential communities in Jiangbei District are now locked down.
Following China’s National Health Commission’s Nov. 17 requirement for local authorities to prepare mobile COVID-19 cabin hospitals in advance, such structures have been under construction in various areas across the country, and caused public concerns.
Contradictory Policies
Just over two weeks ago, the CCP State Council issued 20 new epidemic prevention regulations that loosen some of the COVID-19 restrictions, while sticking to the general policy of zero-COVID.
On Nov. 21, the State Council issued four other documents in the same vein, saying that areas with no risk of community transmission do not need to conduct regional mass PCR testing; and areas where there are outbreaks but meet certain conditions can stop mass PCR testing.
On Nov. 23, the State Council issued a document, supplementary to the “20 new regulations,” to set various controls in high-risk and low-risk areas in the counties and cities where COVID-19 cases were reported. For low-risk areas, people should avoid gatherings and are allowed to take individual preventative measures instead of following concentrated mandatory quarantines.
Meanwhile, the CCP’s official media People’s Daily published eight articles in a row, from Nov. 12 to 20, insisting on the strict zero-COVID policy.
Shijiazhuang city responded to the 20 new regulations last week by starting to terminate the routine mass PRC testing for all residents. However, on Nov. 21, the city authorities issued an urgent notice to cancel the move, and required six of the city’s eight districts to carry out mass PCR testing for five consecutive days.
Intensified CCP Infighting Over Zero-COVID
Current affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan told The Epoch Times that the articles advocating for sticking to the zero-COVID policy on the regime’s mouthpiece media are “in stark contrast to the State Council documents.”
“This shows that the split within the party caused by the zero-COVID policy is still expanding, and the abrupt suspension of the seven-day change in Shijiazhuang is related to this,” he said.
U.S.-based current affairs commentator Wang He told The Epoch Times, “The 20 new regulations and zero-COVID are contradictory. This forces local authorities to increase the COVID-19 control at every level in order to be politically correct. As long as there’s a reported case, they will shut everything down to keep their official positions, which is their first priority.”
Regarding the State Council’s series of documents that are trying to loosen the controls, Tang says, “It reflects that the impact of zero-COVID policy on the economy has reached an alarming level, and it also reflects that dissatisfaction with the policy within the party has accumulated to a critical point.
Zero-COVID is no longer a medical issue. It has become Xi Jinping’s general line and a political red line. Whoever touches this line will inevitably touch Xi’s foundation of power and trigger power struggles within the party.”
“We have seen the back and forth of the epidemic prevention measures in Shijiazhuang, Guangzhou and other places. Behind the sudden changes is this kind of fierce struggle within the party,” he said.
Wang pointed out that the zero-COVID policy causes a mess across the country, and ordinary people are suffering because of it. “This also shows that the system of the CCP is really rotten, there is no hope at all, and the only way is to disintegrate it.”
Luo Ya and Cheng Jing contributed to this report.
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Alex Wu is a U.S.-based writer for The Epoch Times focusing on Chinese society, Chinese culture, human rights, and international relations.
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