Even as Shanghai reported record case numbers, China’s President Xi Jinping hailed his country’s management of the COVID epidemic.
Mr. Xi said some athletes thought China deserved a gold medal for its attitude during an event commemorating China’s hosting of the Winter Olympics.
With infections on the rise and public outrage, China’s zero-COVID policy has come under fire.
The city of Shanghai, which has a population of 25 million people, is still under lockdown.
On Friday, the city, which serves as China’s financial centre, revealed a new high of 21,000 cases. According to an official, only one individual was assessed to be in “serious condition” out of 130,000 illnesses during the current outbreak.
Officials in Jilin City, in north-eastern China, announced that the city has reached “Social Zero COVID” after 33 days of lockdown. Residents in the area, meanwhile, have received no indication as to when the limitations will be eased.
In contrast to the rest of the world, which is attempting to live with the virus in its Omicron variant, China is one of the last remaining nations committed to eradicating COVID.
Residents of Shanghai have taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with food shortages.
People in the city are restricted to their homes, and the majority must order food and water from outside sources while waiting for government deliveries of vegetables, meat, and eggs. However, the shutdown extension has suffocated delivery services, grocery store websites, and even government supply deliveries.
Meanwhile, a video of a worker dressed in hazmat gear stomping on a puppy with a shovel has sparked outrage online.
After testing positive for COVID, the dog’s owner was reportedly brought to quarantine and left the pet outside in the hopes that it would survive.
Mr. Xi noted in his speech that China’s zero COVID policy had stood up to the test of the Winter Olympics.
China’s policy does not appear to be changing. According to an editorial in the state news agency Xinhua, the country would “firmly stick” to its policy.
