As the Epidemic in Shijiazhuang and other areas grows more serious, officials in Hebei province have vowed to be a “moat” to keep Beijing safe while imposing city closures. In addition, authorities around the country have taken measures to “spend New Year’s Eve in place” in the face of the upcoming Spring Festival. However, in interviews with Voice of America, citizens affected by the city closures expressed frustration with the lack of transparency in notification of the epidemic, sudden price increases and the inability to return Home to their families.
Closure of the city to check on people Tensions are rising
According to the latest information from the 18th press conference on the prevention and control of the Newcastle pneumonia epidemic by the Shijiazhuang municipal government on the afternoon of Jan. 22, 15 new cases of Newcastle pneumonia were confirmed in the city on the 21st. From January 2 to 22, the cumulative number of confirmed cases of NCC pneumonia in the city exceeded 800. This press conference did not announce the lifting of the city closure, but rather to conduct new nucleic acid testing of residents.
From January 6, several highways in Hebei were under traffic control and airlines canceled flights to Shijiazhuang. The following day, Shijiazhuang announced a citywide closure, with vehicles and people not allowed to leave the city and all people in the high-risk area not allowed to leave. In addition to Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital, Xingtai and Langfang, where people and vehicles are not allowed to go out unless necessary, the city was closed on the 12th of Hebei Province.
A Shijiazhuang citizen surnamed Liu told the Voice of America that he is currently out of town and that the city’s closure has made it extremely difficult to get in and out of Shijiazhuang. He said, “The city has been closed for a few days, and the wind is getting tighter every day, not allowing people to leave the local area, and those who leave the local area must do the nucleic acid. Foreigners into Shijiazhuang? Do not say people, courier packages are not allowed to send to Hebei Province. There are several villages that have been relocated, and the situation is now back to what it was last year just after the New Year. I have Family there, but I do not want to go back, go back is to throw themselves into the net.”
In addition, Shijiazhuang people in foreign places are also under surveillance. Mr. Liu said, this Time it is not the outsiders to Hebei Province is under surveillance, but foreigners encountered Hebei people on guard.
He said, “You like me, where are you going to ask me where I come from? To any hotel to ask me, where I come from? Say it is Hebei, then when out of the key. I said, out of more than 20 days, which was put in the past. Then people want my name, phone number, sweep health code, anyway, Hebei to the current on this treatment, this time is reversed.”
Residents were caught off guard by the rise in prices
22 million people are affected as Shijiazhuang and many other places close their cities again, says NewseumChinese.com. The new restrictions have caused a lot of inconvenience to millions of people, but they don’t seem to have caused a strong public resistance.
Shijiazhuang resident Mr. Liu, who learned about the situation in the city through his relatives, said that after the closure, “First, prices have risen, second, it is inconvenient to travel, shopping and going to work are affected, many inconveniences.”
Shijiazhuang, Hebei and other places currently closed is suddenly announced, the residents were caught off guard, Shijiazhuang bus, cab all stop, medical care, security staff to and from work can only rely on their own car or electric car, just in time for the winter, no car people can only walk. Another winter break, college students home is also difficult, returning to Shijiazhuang people in the home can not enter.
After the closure of Shijiazhuang and other places, the city’s delivery boys and delivery company personnel were initially immobilized, and the delivery of online sales was paralyzed, not to mention the physical Food retail outlets on the street, although the situation seems to have improved.
According to a description in the China Newsweek newspaper, the price of a stranded college student’s nightly stay in Shijiazhuang after the city was closed was 190 yuan. Commodities are even higher, three meals are difficult to buy not to mention that, according to the usual price level, a whole fried chicken about 20 yuan, after the closure of the city a mouthful of chicken, just a few pieces of chicken breast and a rice, the price is up to 60 yuan.
In Shijiazhuang City held the eleventh press conference on the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, Shijiazhuang City Market Supervision Bureau Director Zhang Xinfeng admitted that not long ago, the price of individual vegetable varieties in individual places appeared to rise by a certain margin.
Acting as a political “moat” for the capital
Some analysts believe that in order to save Beijing from the threat of another outbreak of the new pneumonia virus, the authorities have imposed a closure on Shijiazhuang in order to build a political “moat” to defend the city.
In addition to Shijiazhuang, other areas in Hebei have been closed. In Baoding, about 150 kilometers from Shijiazhuang and Beijing, Mr. Lin, a local resident, told the Voice of America, “Baoding has been closed on all fronts, in the city, in the neighborhoods, in the countryside, basically, Baoding has been like this for a long time, at least a week. “
He added that a bridge across the river from Beijing has been set up with tents and staff on duty 24 hours a day to prevent people from trying to “sneak” across the ice into Beijing, and that sick children will not be able to enter Beijing for medical treatment during the outbreak.
Chinese officials appear to be particularly worried about Beijing, the seat of the Communist Party’s leadership, throughout the new coronavirus pandemic, according to the New Times Chinese website. Wang Dongfeng, secretary of the Hebei provincial party committee, has pledged to “act as a political ‘moat’ for the capital” to stop the spread of the new coronavirus to the capital.
Mr. Lin said, “This is a consistent policy, whether it is the epidemic, or other aspects, from economic development and social aspects, because Beijing has a large right, China has made a number of economic circles, Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei will never work. Anything in Hebei has to safeguard the interests of Beijing, making sacrifices and concessions is a consistent policy.”
The U.S.-based online media outlet China Digital Times pointed out in an article titled “Hebei: The Suffering of ‘Big Picture Awareness'” that the sacrifices Hebei makes are often for the sake of the capital. This “one-size-fits-all” approach is largely arbitrary in terms of group classification. Absolute security cannot be 360 degrees, and compartmentalization and hierarchy itself can leave loopholes, and it is no accident that the outbreak in Hebei is concentrated in the countryside.
A Jan. 16 Associated Press report revealed that China has quickly built a 1,500-room hospital in the Nangong area of Hebei province in response to a surge in infections there, while five other hospitals are under construction and expected to open soon, adding 6,500 new rooms to the total number of hospital rooms in the Nangong area.
Beijing Residents Remain Concerned
Internet photos show that top Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and others have been wearing masks throughout his recent visits to Zhangjiakou and other places in Hebei, speaking to the crowd from a distance.
Cai Qi, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, chaired a meeting of the Leading Group for the Prevention and Control of the New Crown Pneumonia Epidemic on Jan. 5, proposing to build a solid barrier against epidemics imported from outside to ensure the safety of the capital.
According to Xinjing News on January 20, Beijing started to implement the latest management measures such as “14+7+7” to prevent the risk of importation of epidemic from inside and outside the country. In other words, after the 14-day centralized quarantine period for people entering Beijing, a 7-day home or centralized quarantine will continue, followed by 7 days of health monitoring after the expiration of the period.
In terms of public opinion, the Communist Party’s Global Times quoted Wang Peiyu, vice dean of Peking University’s School of Public Health, as saying that this closure is different from that of Wuhan at the time because, firstly, the epidemic is far less serious than Wuhan, and secondly, the detection technology, experience in prevention and control strategies, and the level of rescue and treatment are now far higher than last year.
In addition, Beijing Daxing District, according to the epidemic prevention and control needs, from January 19 at 12:00, the four streets of the Tiangong Yuan street closed management. The residents of the district are “only in and out” and all the residents of the district are under home observation.
However, Ms. Ren, a resident of Beijing, is still worried. She told the Voice of America, “The key is that there are some patients who are particularly insidious, who have been tested six or seven times and are negative, but the last time they are positive; there are also mutations, and some people have spread the disease to 80 or 90 people. There are so many covert infections that no one knows who is infected and who is not.”
Epidemic bounces back with renewed focus on source of virus
In response to the backlash of the outbreak, the Chinese government seems to suggest that the new coronavirus originated abroad. The Associated Press reported on Jan. 16 that China blamed the latest outbreak entirely on imported goods such as cold-chain goods, as well as “abnormal management” of imported goods and “insufficient protection” for the people involved.
Mr. Lin, a resident of Baoding, said in an interview with the Voice of America, “Yesterday it was said that the source of the infection was found, a Russian technical worker who repaired a broken piece of hardware for Shijiazhuang’s high-speed railway, and that people from a village had expert contact with this Russian person and it was infected, according to an official report.”
Mr. Lin believes that there is now a rebound in the epidemic everywhere, and there are certainly some external factors. But it’s unrealistic to say that China itself has completely eradicated the virus. He said it is unknown how big the potential factors of the epidemic are and how many carriers of the virus and asymptomatic infected people there are.
He said, “In terms of the epidemic, my personal view is that from the time it was under control, I have always believed that it was all a symptom, because the virus is something that is invisible and untouchable, and the infection happened unknowingly. You think, Wuhan so serious, all of a sudden extinguished this virus? I feel it is unrealistic.”
Mr. Lin believes that the development of human science and technology, but also caused a lot of pollution to the environment. The encroachment of various viruses on humans over the years is a warning and retribution for humans. He also compared the differences in epidemic control between the U.S. and China. He argued that the difference in values between the two countries led to different ways of handling the situation.
He said, “Americans think differently, people think differently for freedom, even if they go to death, even if they get infected, I want my freedom, that’s a value for people. On the Chinese side, even if you have this idea, that does not work, the government is mandatory, the government in this piece, from the good side, is to control the epidemic, want to make less people infected with this virus, but, from the human rights side, my freedom, my Life I make the decision, this is a different idea and practice.”
Backlash against “New Year in Place” among citizens
With the traditional Chinese New Year approaching, the Spring Festival tide is in the spotlight. The “spring tide” began on Jan. 28 and ended on March 8, a total of 40 days. So far, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shandong, Guizhou and other provinces and cities have proposed to “spend the New Year in place. In a rare move, Shanghai has asked people not to leave the city unless it is necessary. However, little is known about the reality of the epidemic around the world.
Ms. Qian, a Shanghai resident, told the Voice of America, “It’s impossible for us to know the actual situation in Shanghai, we can’t see the details, we can’t see the real situation, and if we say there is a situation, the authorities will say you are disturbing the social order and put a hat on it. This is the situation, and we know that this disease is very scary, too scary. True is true, false is false, many things can not fool people.”
Ms. Qian also said, how is the epidemic situation around the world? In addition to the authoritative release of the authorities, the private sector can only intuitively perceive, or from family and friends, gossip and online developments, but also worried that inadvertently may be interviewed by the authorities and get into trouble, we have something to say, that the current situation in the country “time has not yet come”.
An epidemic prevention slogan circulating online in Jiangsu Province: “Instead of returning to your hometown for 14 days of quarantine, stay in Suzhou and earn 4,000 to 5,000 more” has led to heated debates. As the epidemic will undoubtedly continue until the Spring Festival, the desire of workers and college students to go home for the New Year will be in vain, and such a slogan is very stimulating for them, leading to online criticism.
The netizen “Yi’an” said, has been shameless to such an extent, seems to be for the sake of the people, but actually do not care about their lives, anyway, when the officials have the privilege to go where they want to go, the boss also took advantage of the big bargain, the worst is the people, New Year’s reunion can not go home, but also by the boss exploitation.
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