The Communist Party's 'White Soldiers'... Zero COVID and the Unemployment Shock

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In China, people wearing white protective suits called 'Dabai (大白)' are losing their jobs as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

On the 5th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that after the Chinese government abandoned its zero-COVID policy, the Dabai faced the risk of unemployment. They were hired on short-term contracts but were also known as 'white soldiers,' having worked on the front lines of epidemic prevention for the past three years, becoming a symbol of the strict containment measures.

On December 23 last year, a nurse was carrying an oxygen tank at a fever clinic in Beijing, China.

During the zero-COVID period, China managed urban areas by dividing them into grids using grassroots management methods and digital platforms. In major cities, at least one PCR testing center was established for every 2,000 to 3,000 residents, and according to the National Health Commission's guidelines, testing personnel with certain medical qualifications and Dabai were assigned. Although Dabai were not police officers, they held extensive authority, implementing lockdown policies and organizing nucleic acid testing.

However, after the Chinese government announced additional easing measures on December 7, the number of Dabai decreased by 80%. Pharmacists returned to their pharmacies, but simple labor workers such as testing site security guards either sought other jobs or are still looking for employment.

Some have become intermediaries in medical supplies, such as rapid antigen test kits, leveraging their knowledge and connections in the medical industry. However, as the number of people undergoing PCR tests has significantly decreased, stocks of hygiene and epidemic prevention supplies like self-test kits and masks have piled up like mountains.

Citizens are waiting to receive medical treatment at the fever clinic of Tongren Hospital in Changning District, Shanghai, China. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Meanwhile, although the Chinese government had advocated for the zero-COVID policy, widespread 'blank paper protests' opposing control measures have spread across China, with even calls for President Xi Jinping's resignation emerging, leading to the announcement to abolish the zero-COVID policy.

In this process, the costs of large-scale PCR testing were shifted to local governments, many of which have been unable to pay the salaries of epidemic prevention workers. Accordingly, Radio Free Asia predicted that more than 10 million workers involved in China's epidemic prevention efforts could lose their jobs if the zero-COVID policy is abolished.

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