Distant China Reopening... People's Daily Emphasizes Quarantine Measures 8 Times

Hoo Si-jin "At least until next spring, there will be no 'easing'"

An editorial published in the People's Daily on the 20th reiterated the importance of adhering to quarantine measures and indicated that the 'Zero COVID' policy will continue to be maintained in the future.

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] China is dispelling the so-called 'reopening' expectations that it will significantly ease zero-COVID policies and normalize economic activities. The Communist Party's official newspaper, People's Daily, has published eight articles emphasizing the importance of epidemic prevention over the past nine days, raising its voice that the Party's control must be followed. Especially, with COVID-19 related deaths recently reported in Beijing for the first time in six months, on-site epidemic prevention measures appear to be intensifying.

In the January 20 issue, People's Daily published a commentary titled "Unwavering, Unshaken (不動搖, 不走樣)" by 'Zhongyin (仲音)', stating, "Due to the influence of winter and spring climatic factors, the scope and scale of epidemic spread may further expand," and emphasized, "All regions and departments must unify their thinking and actions according to General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions and the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployment spirit, and implement the '20 optimization measures'." It further explained, "We must take resolute measures to solve problems in an unwavering and faithful manner and suppress the spread," and "We must adhere to dynamic clearance (zero-COVID) to achieve the maximum prevention and control effect at minimal cost and steadfastly comply with existing strategies and policies."

According to local media, on the day before the article was published, January 19, an 87-year-old man in Beijing who tested positive for COVID-19 died after septic shock. This marks the first COVID-19 death in China in over six months since May 26. The local atmosphere, which had been focused on easing epidemic prevention and normalizing economic activities, quickly froze upon hearing this news.

People's Daily's articles emphasizing 'compliance with epidemic prevention' were published eight times over the past nine days, including titles such as "The Responsibility to Protect This Land (January 19)," "Improving Implementation and Confidence (January 18)," and "Firmly Implementing the Dynamic Zero-COVID Policy (January 15)." As the Party's mouthpiece, this can be seen as the Communist Party repeatedly expressing its determination to uphold the zero-COVID policy.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Fu Jinzhen, a well-known pro-government commentator and former editor of Global Times, predicted that full reopening would be impossible at least until next spring. On his social media, he stated, "The 'full reopening (放開)' that some desire is impossible," and "At least this winter and next spring, it will definitely not happen." He emphasized, "What we need to seriously discuss now is how to implement the '20 optimization measures' to prevent serious spread," and "The purpose of the 20 scientifically based measures is to promote precise prevention and control."

He also expressed a pessimistic view regarding the strengthened epidemic prevention measures recently implemented in Beijing. He explained, "From the weekend, dining out was again suspended in many areas of Beijing. It's unfortunate," but added, "What is important is that Beijing previously banned dining out for 36 days." He continued, "We must thoroughly control the epidemic while leaving more room for normalization in economic and social life," and wrote, "The calls from some quarters to 'open up,' which cause misunderstandings about the 20 measures, must stop."

Local residents generally agreed with these views, but some voiced opposition citing difficulties faced by self-employed individuals and small businesses. One netizen pointed out, "We have to pay rent, send children to school, and make a living, but it has been an off-season for over half a year," and asked, "How are we supposed to live?" Another netizen commented, "Unemployment is increasing, and life will become even harder."

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