There's no end in sight for China's Covid lockdowns. Here's what you need to know

[Mista]

Also, Shanghai pride themselves for having more sophisticated governance and despise the crude measures implemented by other Chinese province which include measures like killing pets or smashing mahjong tables.

Okay, I was wrong.

https://www.facebook.com/MothershipSG/posts/5411447985561476

 

[MH.Yang]

Nowadays, we have to speak Chinese carefully. Too many foreigners know Chinese well.

This is a foreigner who has bought real estate and settled in Shanghai for a long time. Of course, such people have a high chance of understanding Chinese.
Most foreigners still don't understand Chinese.

I think zero COVID policy need to be revised. It is no longer realistic to keep it up when rest of the world gave up on containment a long time ago. Even if it could be maintained, the social, economic and political cost is too high. Up to 85% of China's population had two vaccine shots. Why bother if you're maintaining zero COVID?

Get everyone vaccinated with booster shots in a span of 3 to 6 months and impose mask mandate instead.

Not all Chinese have been vaccinated. Many elderly people with chronic diseases are not vaccinated, COVID is also the most lethal to these people.

I can't tolerate giving up anyone's life, even if they are old people with diseases. The Chinese govt has the responsibility to protect the lives of all Chinese people, whether young or old.

We don't have to care about the practices of western countries. We are different from them.

 

[MH.Yang]

Even then, their view may not be going against their government, while Chinese certainly will. When a government reaches to almost every part of people's lives, its responsibility grows proportionally.

Yes.
Chinese traditional culture believes that responsibility and rights are bound together. When you have rights, you must bear relevant responsibilities.
The Chinese govt has very strong power, and of course they should bear the same responsibility.
And the Chinese are particularly intolerant of death from non war causes.
For example, I think China is the only country that requires all homicide cases to be solved. Many murders in China have been traced for more than 40 years. If human lives are involved, the Chinese govt usually pursues the murderer indefinitely.

Okay, I was wrong.

https://www.facebook.com/MothershipSG/posts/5411447985561476

In China, human life is indeed higher than animals. The responsibility of the Chinese govt is to protect the safety and interests of the Chinese people, not dogs.

The Chinese govt also protects rare animals, but that is because rare animals have ecological value and scientific research value, not that their lives have the same value as human beings

 

[CHN Bamboo]

Currently working in Shanghai, I have been working from home for a month.
As a Wuhan native, I feel the covid has ruined my life. :/
When the pandemic broke out in Wuhan, it was the winter vacation of university students. I originally planned to travel to Serbia, but now I have not gone abroad for several years.

 

[Mista]

Currently working in Shanghai, I have been working from home for a month.

Sounds good. I WFH too for the most part of last year, and it's the best thing ever. I bet that I had better work life balance than the Scandinavians.

How's the food supply going for you? Is it as exaggerated as depicted in the social media?

 

[CHN Bamboo]

Is it as exaggerated as depicted in the social media?

To be honest, I was worried about the lack of food after knowing the extended lockdown, but so far there is no shortage of food, our community group bought(团购) bread, self-heating rice(自热米饭) and many other food(烧卖、熟食), and some people shared food with others who were short on stock.
I'm not sure if the comments on social media are true or not, but I know that my own living environment is not the same as most people living in Shanghai. 我住在服务式公寓，限制年轻人住并且租金偏高（也不是特别高，强于大多刚来上海的外地人吧），所以住户素质不错而且负担得起稍贵的团购… 缺粮的居民估计是没法在社区凑齐团购的底价吧。之前由于缺骑手，食物都得是社区团购的才送。最近外卖骑手的数量也增加了，情况应该会好转的。

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Chinese are extremists. They do not tolerate a single case of flu. Anyone who opposes this policy is arrested by Chinese police. Not all Chinese support the Chinese government 100%. You will be surprised how many Chinese oppose the Chinese government.

 

[nang2]

Yes.
Chinese traditional culture believes that responsibility and rights are bound together. When you have rights, you must bear relevant responsibilities.
The Chinese govt has very strong power, and of course they should bear the same responsibility.
And the Chinese are particularly intolerant of death from non war causes.
For example, I think China is the only country that requires all homicide cases to be solved. Many murders in China have been traced for more than 40 years. If human lives are involved, the Chinese govt usually pursues the murderer indefinitely.


In China, human life is indeed higher than animals. The responsibility of the Chinese govt is to protect the safety and interests of the Chinese people, not dogs.

The Chinese govt also protects rare animals, but that is because rare animals have ecological value and scientific research value, not that their lives have the same value as human beings

Yes. But that creates a problem for people who want to be responsible for themselves. I do not want the government to be responsible for me for everything. It is annoying.

 

[Mista]

限制年轻人住

还有这种事？

 

[S10]

I don't buy this argument that China must eliminate COVID because hospital would be overwhelmed. Shanghai has recorded approximately 130,000 cases, both symptomatic and asymptomatic. So far, only 1 case is considered to be severe with zero death. That is a fatality rate magnitudes lower than the flu or even common cold. If you are worried that Omicron will kill a significant number of people even if the fatality rate is low, then by that standard we have to eliminate all transmissible diseases. That's impractical and unsustainable.

On the other hand, the economic impact, psychological trauma, civil unrest and inaccessibility of hospitals for other disease are much more pressing. What is the point of vaccinating over 85% of the population with Sinovac/Sinopharm if you're going to go with zero COVID policy anyway?

Give everyone in China a booster shot (age 12 to 80) in the next 3 months, then open up with mask mandate in public places. Encourage people to maintain social distancing and practice proper hygiene.

 

[S10]

Now many Americans are still dying due to the virus. More people are in hospitals. The virus damages never end. Americans just keep blind eyes on that. But China can't pretend there is nothing happening.

China's policy is flexible zero covid. Lockdowning whole city for small number of cases won't be necessary. Like Beijing did. I don't know how the situation went so bad in Shanghai. Is it because Shanghai is most pro-west city next to Hongkong in China? After this new wave outbreak is extinguished, normal life will be back. Zero covid is short pain. Giving up will be long pain. And probably irreparable disaster.

People will die, regardless of COVID. For a country like China, millions die of natural causes each year. The real disaster is the economical and social unrest these lockdowns are causing. Zero COVID made sense when the original virus was rampaging across the globe with no vaccine or effective treatment available, but it no longer makes sense for later variants that are much less deadly.