COVID Outbreaks Test China's Zero-COVID Policy

COVID Outbreaks Test, China's Zero-COVID Policy.

NPR reports that rising COVID cases seem to have dashed hopes that the Chinese government's zero-COVID policies were coming to an end.

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Cities across China are once again locking down, including in the capital of Beijing, raising questions as to when the strict COVID policy could eventually phase out.

This is the typical policy dilemma that the Chinese leaders face.

, Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations at Seton Hall University, via NPR.

When you relax and open up, it will lead to chaos, and when you tighten policy, it will be too rigid to allow any flexibility, Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations at Seton Hall University, via NPR.

On November 22, China recorded 28,883 new cases, mostly clustered in the cities of Guangzhou and Chongqing.

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In response, Guangzhou ordered a five-day lockdown in the populous Baiyun district.

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In Chongqing, the government is racing to construct new quarantine facilities, with over 5,000 construction workers putting up a makeshift center in just five days.

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Meanwhile, many cities in China have resumed mandatory mass COVID testing, which has renewed concerns about China's faltering economy.

In the port city of Tianjin, residents have not been allowed to leave their homes without proof of a negative test.

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The widespread lockdowns and strict restrictions have led to social unrest, including violent protests at a Foxconn factory on November 23