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Covid in China: ‘Everybody I Know Is Getting Sick’

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After the removal of restrictions in the fight against coronavirus, epidemics throughout the country and anger and confusion on social media.

The sudden lifting of many of China’s Covid-19 restrictions has caused outbreaks across the country, as well as a lot of anger and confusion on social media.

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Amid the severe shortage of rapid testing kits, several Chinese provinces such as Zhejiang, Anhui and Chonqing are implementing a new policy that allows people with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 symptoms to return to work.

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On Weibo, the social network equivalent to Twitter in China, the hashtag associated with this ad has been read 33 million times since Monday, 19/12. The reaction is one of surprise and anger.

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One comment, which was upvoted 200 times, read, “For three years, no preparations have been made, and all of a sudden the restrictions are lifted and you are allowed to go to work as a patient. Like ants, our lives are useless.”

According to another comment, which received close to 1,000 likes, “Just a few months ago, people who went to work with a positive test were arrested.”

Even some overseas Chinese who have recently returned to the country after the shortening of the quarantine period in hotels were surprised at how quickly the virus was spreading.

“I’ve never been covid when I was living abroad in the last few years but I caught it days after I got back… Everyone I know gets covid and has a fever – so if you can be out of the country for a while a user on Xiaohongshu, another popular social network in China, don’t come back” he wrote.

Front line

Over the past two weeks, the Chinese internet has been flooded with posts about how people treat themselves after contracting the virus.

Videos circulating in China showing asymptomatic children bringing food and water to their sick parents. Some showed creative ways to maintain social distancing by living in the same house to avoid infecting relatives.

Amid the nationwide drug shortage, Chinese media outlets have also sought to spread stories to encourage community spirit. Numerous videos can be found on Weibo of people packing painkillers they don’t need and sending them to people who need them.

Media outlets urge people to treat healthcare workers with courtesy and to emphasize courtesy towards those on the frontline.

For example, The Paper news site noted that a man in Chengdu, southwest China, called a government official who was muted and coughing on the phone.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” she says before hanging up. “Take care of your health, please.”

Social media platforms in China often post positive news in the face of distress on their “trend” lists.

The hashtag #DoctorsandPersistentEnfermeirosWorkHard has been trending lately, with government tools praising these professionals’ contributions to the fight against covid-19.

protests

But the independent South China Morning Post reported last week that new protests erupted among medical students demanding “better pay” and front-line protection.

The state press did not mention these demonstrations. But images and videos of the protests are routinely censored.

That’s what happened in November when nationwide protests broke out against strict Covid-19 control measures. But the stories about the medical industry being overwhelmed were clear.

Thousands of retired medical professionals have been brought back to work after the press reported that they were forming “long queues” under “heavy pressure” outside outpatient centers and fever clinics.

Newspapers in several cities acknowledged “increasing” calls to emergency services and warned people to only call if absolutely necessary.

Numerous images can be found on Weibo showing healthcare workers sleeping at their desks. Images circulated showing that exhausted workers were given IV drips.

In recent days, more than 10 million social media users watched a video showing a man kneeling down for treatment for his son at a clinic in Guangdong, the province with the highest number of cases.

The doctor said, “We’re condensed… There are queues for 6-8 hours. Children, the elderly, everyone is waiting, you are not the only one.”

– Text originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-64080719

Fan Wang and Kerry Allen – From BBC News

23.12.2022 17:25

source: Noticias

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