China's daily COVID-19 case count has reached an all-time high since the pandemic began, despite aggressive efforts by authorities to restrict the spread of the virus.
Multiple major cities, including the nation's capital of Beijing and the southern commercial powerhouse of Guangzhou, are seeing outbreaks, as reported by BBC.
As of Wednesday, China had registered 31,527 COVID-19 cases, which is more than the previous high of roughly 28,000 cases in April, when Shanghai was quarantined. This occurs when prolonged lockdowns have once again led to outbreaks of disorder.
Though the "zero-COVID" policy has saved lives in China, a country of 1.4 billion people, it has also delivered a devastating blow to the economy and the daily lives of regular citizens.
The government recently eased some of its stiff measures like the China Zero-Tolerance policy
, which may explain why COVID-19 cases in China are on the rise just weeks following the relaxation.
Harsh Restrictions Returns
Many more people were able to avoid confinement after the requirement for close contacts to be quarantined in a state institution was reduced from seven days to five days and three days at home. Secondary contacts were no longer recorded in COVID-19 cases in China. The length of time spent in isolation was also shortened for both domestic contacts and overseas arrivals.
In the same way, the government has tried to avoid wide-scale lockdowns like the ones that were imposed in Shanghai at the beginning of 2022.
However, as a result of a recent uptick in cases and the city's first fatalities from the virus in months, authorities have already placed various restrictions in many Beijing neighborhoods, closing businesses, schools, and restaurants.
Officials have also declared that starting this coming Friday, the city of Zhengzhou, located in central China, will implement an effective lockdown, as part of China Zero-Tolerance policy, for its 6 million citizens.
There have been violent demonstrations at Foxconn's massive industrial complex, where they produce parts for the iPhone. The company acknowledged a "technical issue" in its payment processing and extended an apology.
Officials in Zhengzhou warned that the city's outbreak was remain "severe" and complex. As of Thursday, 675 cases of new COVID-19 infections had been reported in Zhengzhou, a large number of which had no symptoms, CNA reported.
In what some regarded as an indication of the government conceding its failings, China, the world's only major economy still imposing strict "zero-COVID" regulations, announced a minimal relaxation of the policy earlier this month.
Several Chinese localities canceled their large-scale COVID-19 testing after the announcement, but the regulations they left in place are difficult to negotiate with, especially when there is an outbreak in the area.
The Chinese People Push Back
In a nation where authorities often crack down on any signals of dissent, there are growing hints that people are already sick and tired of the situation, and infrequent uprisings have been initiated.
This week, protests erupted in Zhengzhou, China, the site of the world's largest iPhone manufacturing facility, per CNN. Social media videos showed employees approaching riot police after an outbreak. A week prior, some locals in Guangzhou, a major manufacturing hub in southern China, rebelled against a prolonged lockdown by knocking down fences and marching around the city.
Repeated problems, such as an absence of availability to appropriate medical treatment, inadequate food and supplies, and the struggle to earn a living, intensify the frustration of residents stuck in lockdowns as COVID-19 cases in China rise.
