Beijing, in a ferment of fear and boredom due to the restrictions of the “zero covid” policy in China

With schools, restaurants and shops closed again and the fear of being confined at any moment, Beijing, the Chinese capital is abuzz with fear and boredom Given the tightening of anticovid restrictions, almost three years after the start of the pandemic.

In recent days the Chinese capital experience an outbreak never seen before and dozens of residential buildings have been confined and companies have decreed teleworking.

large part of the population she is tired of the restrictions, which are often vague and changeable, and whose duration is never announced.

“I’m sick of all this. There’s no one on the street,” Elaine, a young employee, explained to AFP. “I want to go out to dinner and see my friends, but it’s impossible,” she adds.

the road and the air

A French woman who lives in Beijing she found herself trapped in her boyfriend’s apartment Monday morning after spending the night. The reason? One of the neighbors tested positive, which led to the entire building being confined for five days.

“Every night we think we might be trapped in our apartment the next morning,” says the young woman, who wishes to remain anonymous to avoid potential problems.

“The only thing left to us is the freedom to walk down the street and breathe fresh air,” he continues.

Queues sometimes stretch for tens of meters in front of the small PCR test booths scattered throughout Beijing.

Businesses must operate in the midst of nuanced constraints as the directives are not clearly announced in the media.

Often it is the neighborhood administrations that notify restaurants, bars or shops directly the closing order, usually on the spur of the moment.

The city of Beijing announced on Wednesday around 1,500 new cases, the vast majority asymptomatic cadres, in a city of 22 million inhabitants.

The Chinese capital had never recorded this level of infections since the beginning of the pandemic, but this level is still far from that recorded by other countries.

The government’s reaction

Almost three years after the start of the pandemic, the reaction of the Chinese authorities seems disproportionate compared to the situation in many other countries of the world living with the virus.

Now, Beijingers now fear a general blockade, similar to this year’s tax for three months in Shanghai, the country’s largest city (25 million inhabitants).

The episode was characterized by food supply problems, difficulties in accessing hospitals for patients with pathologies other than the coronavirus and manifestations of discontent.

In the trendy district of shops, restaurants and bars of Sanlitun in central Beijing, department stores closed in recent days.

For its part, the Chaoyang area, home to the business district and which is the most populated district of the Chinese capital, is almost deserted.

Most hairdressers, beauty salons and karaoke bars have closed.

A former gym employee has left Biejing since the venue closed in May, amid a previous outbreak that also led to tight restrictions.

“This new wave of covid it had great repercussions in people’s lives, especially those working in the service and fitness industries,” Xu told AFP, refusing to reveal his full name for fear of reprisals.

“Many of my former colleagues have left the capital because they had no income,” he points out.

In the Dongcheng district, the historic heart of the capital – where the Forbidden City and various ministries are located – there are tables in front of restaurants. Waiters place plastic bags with ready-to-eat meals. be sent to customers by an army of motorcycle messengers.

According to an employee of the restaurant, the establishment’s profits have dropped by 99% as they can no longer receive customers.

AFP agency

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