What Makes China’s ‘Zero-Covid’ Endeavor Sustainable? By Cheng Wang
The Feb 17th WSJ published an article, “Lessons of ‘Zero Covid’ From China,” but only from a very high-level view. It may have left readers wondering how exactly China has managed it, while many other nations tried but were not able to. Trust, mentioned as the top cause in the article, should be one necessary factor, but hardly sufficient. I have summed up some details from my daily interactions with my family and friends in China intending to help readers grasp the situation.
China started the first whole country lockdown about two years ago. Back then, all inter-city traffic was cut off. Inside each city, communities designated people to guard the gates so that no one got in and out. The doors of those infected households would be locked with a guard sitting outside to watch them. All the daily essentials were delivered to the main gate or the doors of the infected families. Have some measures gone overboard? Of course, even by the Chinese standard. In the remote village, the one I have personal contact with, its village leaders sent tractors to plow up the main road to block all traffic at one time. Mainly, the regional people in charge have carried out these specific tasks with the support of the majority in their communities. In China, public opinions are significant concerns that no regional leaders can take them lightly. After the early success, the testing, tracing, and tracking have been going on.
If a dozen new cases emerge in a city, the city-wide testing can be completed within a week or so — carried out block by block where people come out, waiting in line, in a timely order. The testing team comes to these homes for elderlies, the way my mom got tested. Lockdowns mostly happen to the specific subdivisions where new cases break out. Life in most cities has been normal after the end of the country lockdown, with all the schools, restaurants, and malls back to the pre-pandemic time. But for those who want to leave the city, you need to know if there are ongoing issues where you go. Or your smartphone has an app that will show red, and you will be quarantined usually for two weeks upon returning.
Online complaints can often be seen mostly about the lack of access to some essentials but rarely the direction where the country is striving for. Society understands the tradeoffs and is willing to accept the inconvenience. One may wonder what separates China from other countries. This WSJ article concludes, “isn’t that autocracy superior,” I fully agree. But I want to add that the collective conformity characteristics of the people play an invisible but far more pivotal role in China. As to where the characteristics of 1.4 billion people come from, uniformly by and large? That will be another top of the discussion entirely.
Then again, the most recent surge in COVID-19 spurs new lockdowns in more cities starting in early-March, the worst-ever over the last two years. I believe China can sustain its ‘zero-covid’ policy after this round of lockdown. However, the next, most challenging question comes to their minds: how long would China choose to stay this way, in a close system away from the international community? As I have heard, a more relaxed policy is in the making right now, which remains to be seen.
What Makes China’s ‘Zero-Covid’ Endeavor Sustainable?
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/cheng-wang/from-tea-to-coffee/
