China's Controversy Over 'Aggressive Quarantine' Breaking Down Doors... Over 2,000 Tourists Trapped Due to Lockdown

"Over 100 Households Damaged in Guangzhou Liwan District" Claims
About 2,000 Tourists Stranded Due to Lockdown Policy in Resort City Beihai

Chinese medical staff are conducting nucleic acid tests for COVID-19. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Woo-seok] Due to China's stringent "Zero COVID" policy, not only citizens but also tourists are experiencing inconveniences. In cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou, COVID-19 prevention workers have been aggressively breaking down doors of private homes, while in Beihai City, a major resort area, lockdown measures have prevented travelers from returning home for several days.

On the 18th (local time), Hong Kong's Ming Pao reported that COVID-19 prevention workers in Shanghai and Guangzhou broke into empty homes to carry out sterilization and disinfection. According to netizens, more than 100 households in a residential area of Liwan District, Guangzhou, experienced such incidents, Ming Pao claimed.

On the 9th, Liwan District authorities announced that two people tested positive in PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests for COVID-19 in the residential complex where the disinfection took place. Consequently, other residents were classified as close contacts and admitted to quarantine facilities, during which prevention workers reportedly broke down doors and conducted aggressive disinfection. It is known that prevention workers carried out the disinfection in cooperation with the residential complex management company and the police.

On Chinese social media platform Weibo, photos were posted showing several front doors left open with locks removed and lying on the floor.

The management company stated that there were suspicions of people hiding at home to avoid entering quarantine facilities, and thus cooperated with authorities to conduct the disinfection on the 10th.

Ming Pao criticized, "During the Shanghai lockdown, prevention workers forcibly entered homes to disinfect on a large scale, causing public dissatisfaction."

A security guard wearing personal protective equipment stands in front of a quarantine area enclosed by green barbed wire in Shanghai, China. [Image source=Yonhap News]

China currently implements a "Zero COVID" policy that locks down entire regions even if only one confirmed case is detected. While this has reduced the number of confirmed cases, it has caused side effects such as economic damage. According to China's National Bureau of Statistics, Shanghai's GDP growth rate for the second quarter of this year was -13.5%, indicating severe economic impact.

The "Zero COVID" policy has also led to absurd situations where tourists are stranded. According to local media on the 18th (local time), Beihai City in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region issued a lockdown order for the entire area on the 12th after a COVID-19 case was confirmed. Beihai is a representative resort city in China, attracting over 51 million visitors last year and generating tourism revenue of 67.6 billion yuan (approximately 13.2 trillion KRW).

As a result, about 2,000 tourists have been unable to leave the area for six days. On the 17th, Beihai announced that tourists who stayed only in low-risk areas and had no contact with confirmed cases would be allowed to return home if they tested negative in a PCR test within 48 hours. However, those who visited medium- or high-risk areas, had contact with confirmed cases, or whose health codes on the quarantine mobile app were yellow or red would remain under control in quarantine facilities until they meet the release criteria.

Meanwhile, the Omicron subvariant of COVID-19 has been spreading recently in China. According to the National Health Commission of China, on the 16th, the number of new confirmed cases on the Chinese mainland reached 580, the highest since May 23 (639 cases).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.