China’s Harsh Covid Restrictions Will Endure After Olympics

Beijing’s harsh tactics for controlling the spread of Covid-19 during the Winter Olympics have shattered some athletes’ dreams and horrified much of the world, but they are life as usual in China. While some cling to the idea that China’s ”zero-tolerance” approach to the pandemic will be loosened after the Games, the only way the government has been successful in suppressing the spread of the coronavirus is through extreme measures. Chinese pride and the perceived legitimacy of the government are now tied to keeping the virus at bay at nearly all costs.

For example, most of the 13 million residents of the city of Xi’an spent almost the entire month of January confined to their homes in a citywide lockdown. Meanwhile, white-collar workers in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have been abruptly locked inside their office buildings for days at a time after a single co-worker was identified as a close contact of a Covid patient.

MC

About the Author

Michael Cunningham

Michael Cunningham is a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center.

Featured Tags

Beijing’s harsh tactics for controlling the spread of Covid-19 during the Winter Olympics have shattered some athletes’ dreams and horrified much of the world, but they are life as usual in China. While some cling to the idea that China’s ”zero-tolerance” approach to the pandemic will be loosened after the Games, the only way the government has been successful in suppressing the spread of the coronavirus is through extreme measures. Chinese pride and the perceived legitimacy of the government are now tied to keeping the virus at bay at nearly all costs.

For example, most of the 13 million residents of the city of Xi’an spent almost the entire month of January confined to their homes in a citywide lockdown. Meanwhile, white-collar workers in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have been abruptly locked inside their office buildings for days at a time after a single co-worker was identified as a close contact of a Covid patient.