China | On their own

How Chinese people are dealing with the spread of covid-19

The government has left the public to fend for itself

A elderly man wearing a face mask and goggle walks on a street in Beijing, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022. Facing a surge in COVID-19 cases, China is setting up more intensive care facilities and trying to strengthen hospitals as Beijing rolls back anti-virus controls that confined millions of people to their homes, crushed economic growth and set off protests. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Image: AP
|BEIJING

Just a few months ago Chinese people had little fear of catching covid-19. The government’s “zero-covid” measures kept them safe for the most part. Mass testing and strict lockdowns contained the virus. If a person did test positive, the government would swoop in. The infected were taken to state-run quarantine centres. If symptomatic, they were treated in a designated hospital. Health workers would douse their house with disinfectant and test their neighbours.

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “On their own”

The winter war

From the December 17th 2022 edition

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