The Manila Times

China standing by zero-Covid policy

THE World Health Organization (WHO) is calling out China for refusing to dial down its “zero-Covid” policy which has kept major Chinese cities under repressive lockdowns. The WHO director general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has described China’s zero-tolerance strategy as not sustainable, “considering the behavior of the virus,” and said it was time to rethink its approach.

Shanghai has been paralyzed for the last six weeks by a lockdown that has practically imprisoned people in their homes and closed down businesses. City officials have declared half of China’s sprawling financial hub as zero-Covid zones, but insisted that restrictions would remain in place.

In Beijing, many employees have been forced to work from home as offices and industries closed down.

In Xi’an, vehicles were kept off the streets and flights were canceled, leaving the central China city isolated.

Mike Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies director, said the impact of the zero-Covid policy on human rights and the economy also needed to be factored in.

“We need to balance the control measures against the impact on society, the impact they have on the economy, and that’s not always an easy calibration,” Ryan said.

He said he understands China’s obsession to stamp out the coronavirus. The country has so far succeeded in keeping the number of Covid-related deaths to about 15,000. Compare that to the 1 million deaths in the United States and the 500,000 in India.

But Ryan feels that Beijing is approaching the problem from the wrong end. The WHO has been espousing the concept of living with Covid, instead of driving it to extinction, which it said is next to impossible.

But China’s President Xi Jinping has made it clear that his country won’t be changing course any time soon. Xi has in fact directed government officials to muzzle any criticism of the zero-tolerance policy.

The Communist Party’s politburo standing committee quickly fell in line with Xi, vowing to “unswervingly adhere to the general policy of ‘dynamic zero-Covid,’ and resolutely fight against any words and acts that distort, doubt or deny our country’s epidemic prevention policies.”

“Our prevention and control strategy is determined by the party’s nature and mission, our policies can stand the test of history, our measures are scientific and effective,” the committee added.

An official in Shanghai has raised the threat of a rebound in transmissions if the restrictions are lifted.

A foreign ministry spokesman even took a swipe at Ghebreyesus. “We hope the relevant individual can view Chinese Covid policy objectively and rationally and know the facts, instead of making irresponsible remarks,” the spokesman said, alluding to the WHO chief.

Chinese health officials defend their hardline stand by citing studies by scientists in China and the US that project over 1.5 million Covid deaths if China softens its zero-tolerance position without installing safeguards such as stepping up vaccination and providing more access to treatments.

But according to other researchers, it will be futile for China to annihilate the virus, particularly the Omicron variant. “You can’t stop the wind with your hand,” one researcher said.

There are signs that the hard lockdowns are fueling anger in communities experiencing food shortages and lack of access to medical care. Chinese authorities, however, do not look kindly on any form of dissent, so it is unlikely that we will see lockdown protesters marching in the streets. But some residents in Shanghai have taken to social media to express their anger and call for help.

China’s doggedness about sticking to a zero-Covid stance runs counter to the prevailing trend to concentrate on reducing transmission and supplementing this with a robust vaccination campaign. The Philippines has adopted this approach, and by doing so has been able to reopen businesses, schools and establishments that have been idled by a series of lockdowns. We’re still threatened by possible outbreaks, since the virus continues to mutate, but we’re more prepared and more confident this time.

All the more reason for the incoming administration to front-load an anti-Covid response during its first days in office, to ensure policy continuity.

Opinion

en-ph

2022-05-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-13T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://digitaledition.manilatimes.net/article/281621013930059

The Manila Times