By Carla Cosajay Catalan, Staff Writer | December 9, 2022
Photo courtesy of AP Images
As of recently, there have been protests that have broken out throughout China-some within major cities such as Beijing, Wuhan, and Shanghai.
These protests are due to China’s Zero COVID Policy which has been in effect for almost 3 years. Although other countries have already eased up on restrictions, China has decided to keep up with the policies to prevent more deaths and another wave of COVID.
The policy had citizens already angered, but what fueled more anger was a fire that broke out in an apartment complex in Urumqi, a city in China that has been on lockdown for more than 100 days. When emergency responders arrived at the building, they couldn't get inside quick enough due to the lockdown’s procedures. In the end, at least 10 people were killed in the fire. Since then, several protests have become more prominent.
Many people have taken to the streets using signs as the main way to display their anger. Some protesters have even called for the Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping, to step down. They strongly believe Xi isn’t helping his country but is instead hurting it.
“I think that their government has good reasons for the lockdown. I do, however, mostly agree with the protesters,” said Carson High School junior Jupiter Mesa-Beers. “These civilians have their own lives, and they want to live them. Also given the reason [that] they are protesting, this movement seems very imperative.”
The government has reacted by assembling a lot of security and officers located at main protesting sites and important facilities. They’ve been on the prowl and have been detaining multiple people for “disorderly” conduct and have even confiscated phones from those that are detained according to reports.
As of right now, China’s government appears to have no means of slowing down. If anything, they are trying to enforce even stricter laws. One example of this is that they created a massive COVID-19 quarantine camp designed to isolate anyone who gets COVID. The camp houses up to 250,000 people.
Many people are also against these strict mandates because China’s infection numbers are very low in comparison to other countries. Additionally, repeated closures of neighborhoods, schools, and businesses are fueling public frustration and clashes with health workers.
The future of China still remains unclear as both its people and government continue to fight it out.