Extended Lockdown In Chengdu And Shenzhen Intensifies Public Concerns

As media reported on September 5th, following massive PCR tests, the Chinese Communist Party authorities have extended the lockdown in Chengdu and Shenzhen after identifying new cases in both cities, exacerbating the public’s fears.

On September 5th, the Shenzhen authorities said the city would continue to impose a three-day restriction policy, as 71 new Covid, aka CCP virus cases were reported on September 4th. In Chengdu, the local government announced a four-day lockdown last week that should end on September 4th. However, on the same day, the city’s officials decided to extend the lockdown until at least September 7th in response to 140 more new cases.

These measures triggered panic buying across the city, as well as heightened fears of a repeat of the situation staged in Shanghai, where restrictions were gradually prolonged from an initial few days to several weeks or even longer.

Additionally, in order to promote the “Zero-Covid” policy, several local governments have urged people to stay where they are during the Mid-Autumn Festival instead of visiting their hometowns. Since rural-to-urban workers only get to reunite with their families in their hometowns during holidays, the decision has made them lose another reuniting opportunity, affecting hundreds of millions of people.

Some companies have also encountered difficult operations under the draconian Zero-Covid policy. Many factories in Chengdu, including Germany’s Volkswagen, have arranged their workers to live in enclosed workplaces, barely keeping the plant running.