China has been adhering to a strict zero-COVID approach since the start of the pandemic, and has imposed several harsh laws on its residents.
Residents line up for COVID-19 tests at a mobile testing site in Xincheng District of Xi’an, in northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province. AP
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc, China has gone to some extreme measures to check the spread of the deadly virus. Videos have surfaced on social media, showing quarantine camps with rows of metal boxes to house people suspecting of contracting COVID.
China has been adhering to a strict zero-COVID approach since the start of the pandemic, and has imposed several harsh laws on its residents. The approach has seen millions being confined to their homes and prevented from stepping out to buy food. The recent lockdowns come in the wake of Beijing preparing to host the Winter Olympics next month.
As per a report in The Daily Mail, a total of approximately 20 million people are now confined to their homes, after coronavirus cases were detected in Anyang and Yuzhou. The two cities join over 13 million people in the city of Xi’an, which has also been locked down to prevent the spread of COVID cases.
In several videos being shared on social media, buses have been seen carrying people to quarantine camps, if even a single case is being reported in their building or locality.
Furthermore, according to The Daily Mail, even elderly people and pregnant women are being forced to stay in these camps for as long as two weeks. Each person is being quarantined in a wooden box-like structure with a bed and a toilet.
Videos also show people indulging in panic buying and fighting for supplies in markets and stores.
According to an NDTV report, a pregnant woman in China recently miscarried after she was denied access to medical treatment due to a lockdown in her region. In Xi’an, residents were forced to barter gadgets for food in many apartment complexes.
These lockdowns are one of the strictest ones since the one imposed in Wuhan at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The upcoming winter Olympics, coupled with the rapid of the Omicron variant across the globe, has prompted authorities to use harsh measures to prevent any mass outbreaks.