Trapped in Public Restrooms and Starving to Death... Multiple Side Effects of Janggi's 'Zero COVID' Policy Emerge

Prices Soar, Surviving on Food from Others
US China Expert: "China Now Like Pyongyang"

The scene of Guangzhou City conducting comprehensive testing in April amid signs of COVID-19 spread. Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Culture Intern Reporter Young In] As COVID-19 infections emerge across China, side effects of the strict 'Zero COVID' policy are also surfacing. Residents' dissatisfaction is growing as people are trapped in public restrooms or even dying of starvation.

Hong Kong Ming Pao, citing local Chinese reports, stated that when Xining City in Qinghai Province, located in northwest inland China, was locked down, residents have been reporting the lockdown situation online. In a community, one person revealed that their grandfather could not have a proper meal before passing away during the lockdown, and some cleaning workers said they were surviving by being trapped in public restrooms and receiving food through windows from others.

Xining City, with a population of 2.48 million, has been under lockdown since the end of August. This has led to a food shortage crisis, with the price of one head of cabbage reaching 50 yuan (about 9,800 KRW), causing prices to soar. As dissatisfaction grew, Xining City promised on the 26th to implement more scientific and precise epidemic prevention and control measures. However, they added, "Please understand the inconvenience as this is a critical time in the war against the virus."

Guangzhou City in Guangdong Province began large-scale COVID-19 testing on the 26th and warned that those who do not cooperate may face legal penalties. Guangzhou authorities stated, "The COVID-19 situation is at a very critical stage," and particularly warned that infections recently erupted in the textile and garment industry in Haizhu District are triggering new transmissions. Haizhu District also closed entertainment facilities and issued work-from-home orders, followed by the closure of schools and restaurants from the 24th to the 26th.

Hanyang District in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, was also locked down. According to Bloomberg News, local authorities instructed residents to refrain from going out and stay at home from the 26th to the 30th, and ordered all businesses except essential ones such as supermarkets and pharmacies to close.

Wuhan City was previously locked down as the 'starting point of COVID-19.' Since then, strong 'Zero COVID' policies have kept infections almost nonexistent, but recent reports indicate an increase in cases, with 18 confirmed infections reported the day before. In December 2019, a severe respiratory illness similar to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) spread centered around merchants at the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, but local authorities downplayed, concealed, and responded lukewarmly, missing the opportunity to contain the disease early.

Later, in January 2020, dozens of patients with unknown pneumonia appeared, but Wuhan authorities claimed, "There is no human-to-human transmission. It is controllable and preventable," and even held a large-scale New Year's celebration with 40,000 households participating just before the Spring Festival (Chunje, Chinese New Year). This is believed to have led to the spread of COVID-19 from Wuhan to China and the world, prompting Western countries to demand a truth investigation from China. However, China asserts the opposite, claiming that its bold measures such as the Wuhan lockdown contributed to preventing the spread.

At Foxconn's factory in Zhengzhou City, China, the world's largest iPhone production base, COVID-19 infections have also occurred. According to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP), an employee within the factory complex was infected, and Foxconn is reportedly taking measures according to local epidemic prevention policies. Foxconn Zhengzhou factory stated, "The operation and production of the factory are relatively stable," and explained, "Currently, epidemic prevention work is steadily progressing, and the impact within the complex is controllable."

Scott Kennedy, senior advisor at the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), who visited China for the first time in three years, said in an interview with Bloomberg News, "In 2019, Beijing was becoming an international city like London, but when I returned to Beijing last September, it felt like Pyongyang." He added, "Wherever you go in China, you must verify your health code app on your mobile phone, and without it, you cannot go anywhere. There is no transparency or anonymity."

He also said that China's economy is greatly affected by Zero COVID. Even though Chinese authorities are discussing exit strategies, he analyzed that consumers and investors have long suffered from Zero COVID, so economic recovery will be very slow and gradual.

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