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Letters

Voices From China: Omicron or Zero-Covid?

To the Editor:

I don’t know what circumstances my daughter is in. But if it is a discussion among classmates, don’t have any political views - just state your thoughts objectively and truthfully. There is a lot of talk about the epidemic. Within it, the discussion is mainly about epidemic prevention strategies, which have little to do with politics.

A few points.

1. Opening remarks

Everyone is very concerned about Shanghai. And so am I, because my parents live in Shanghai.

2. About the epidemic in Shanghai.

(1) Many things in the world are hard to predict, so it is hard to prepare adequately. (Uncertainty is now the buzzword)

Many people enter Shanghai every day (including foreigners). Originally, Shanghai is using precision control as it has low economic and social costs for the population.

The conditions for precision control were that the virus did not spread quickly. However, as the virus mutated (Omicron), it spreaded very quickly, with many asymptomatic infections, and the original precision control measures were unable to adapt.

This time, Shanghai did not know enough about Omicron and was not prepared for the situation because of the lack of prior experience.

(2) Many things are difficult to decide because there are dilemmas.

Different people have different judgements and ideas due to their occupations, circumstances, etc., hence will want to deal with things in different ways.

The cost of choosing to clear out: livelihood security, access to medical care, production (Shanghai is the industrial hub of the Yangtze River Delta. If Shanghai stops working until May, the domestic telecoms, biotech and automotive industries will be cut off. Two Japanese car production lines are said to have shut down because of the Shanghai outbreak).

The choice to ‘lie flat’ comes at a price: spread to the whole country (Shanghai has a highly mobile population), and the lives of the elderly (62% vaccination rate in Shanghai’s 60+ age group).

Regardless of choices, there is a price to pay. So the choice is often difficult (and life is full of choices, even painful ones).

After the outbreak, Shanghai’s choice (prevention and control policy) was to keep everyone at home and achieve zero cases as soon as possible. Hopefully, the cost was manageable on both fronts.

(3) In extraordinary times, problems are bound to crop up and the important thing is to resolve them. Shanghai has the will, the manpower and the material resources to resolve the problems to the greatest extent possible.

You can see in the videos that have appeared on the internet the various problems that have arisen in the pandemic control. The outside world must think that Shanghai is in deep water, but in fact it is on the whole okay.

Shanghai people at the centre of the epidemic prefer to see this information as exposing problems and expressing demands. We ordinary people will follow suit and complain, but we will also be actively involved in solving these problems.

Many people are now mobilized - we already have over 30 people in our community volunteer team and feel that the quality of volunteers is good.

It goes without saying that the grassroots staff are on duty 24 hours a day. One of my former female colleagues in the Academic Staff Office has reportedly been living in the office at the Jiading campus for over a month now.

The basic needs of life and medical care are now basically guaranteed. I won’t go into the specific measures, where some of which are very creative.

Mr. Wang, Shanghai (CN)

To the Editor:

I have a few thoughts to share after reading April 21 Thursday Opinion column, ‘Omicron vs Zero-Covid: How long can China hold on?’.

There is a new social order being established and practised in Shanghai today, which has never existed in this cosmopolitan city’s history. The lockdown lasting for more than a month has destroyed the admirable abilities of the society to exchange consumer goods and constantly refresh its own urban culture. The Chinese government has undertaken the task of getting the city functioning. A limited number of civil servants and volunteers (they are usually members of the Communist Party) spent whole days delivering food and organizing mass nucleic acid testing.

However, things are not going so well, far away from expectations. The endless and extremely strict quarantine measures have aggravated people’s mental stress and depression, which have been recurring again and again since the beginning of 2020. But what’s new in 2022 is the lack of food and thus deprivation of a sense of basic security and freedom. Due to the shortage of transportation, the price of fresh food and delivery costs for takeaway riders’ work has risen to unprecedented heights. It’s not easy for anyone to get enough food and guarantee the intake of nutrition. What’s more, to stop the spread of the Covid-19, most hospitals do not provide medical services to the public. Coupled with quarantine measures, it is difficult for people to even go out and find a doctor. Officials did not consider the threat to human health from diseases other than Covid-19. To be frank, I have a feeling that people’s body is containers of food and samples of nucleic acid testing.

It’s a war happening in Shanghai and I believe that there’s no better word to conclude the whole situation. The action’s goal is to beat the Covid-19, an enemy stronger than human beings ‡ they are trying to accomplish something impossible. The dominant value here is a religious belief instead of science. To some extent, the war against this infectious disease is a metaphor: to some people, it represents all the covered social phenomena, such as social inequality and health disparities, and voices that do not agree with the official values; and to others ones, it is a symbol of the total invasion of political goals into social life and the private sphere. But fundamentally, the survival crisis we face at this moment is still widespread and real. We stand together but the help we can offer to another one is very limited.

Xu, Suzhou (CN)

To the Editor:

I used to be incredibly envious of Shanghai and the lives people lead there. There exists the youngest, most vibrant metropolitan life. Yet recent events have made me feel very uneasy. As an international student far away from home, seeing the overwhelming stream of unbelievable events and news on social media and the disappointing government measures have made me find this distant land even more incomprehensible. I tried to see what was going on there, and what were the forces driving all this. But the more I stared, the more the scene before me became blurry ... When individual persons are reduced to mere statistics in service of political powerplay, the only answer I heard loud and clear was that they didn’t care.

Real people and the vivacity of life should not be lost within an abstract ideology… On one hand I feel powerless, on the other I do not know whether I shall return…

Alice Yang, London (UK)

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To the Editor:

Anonymous, London (UK)

To the Editor:

How easy it is to ‘give up(躺平)’! It might be easier for everyone to give up too! But how will it end? Many people may feel free and relaxed, but it will cost a lot of lives. The total number of deaths in our country so far is 4776. As a medical practitioner, I have asked myself over and over again whether extensive lockdown can prevent the epidemic. But there is a mortality rate that goes with the morbidity rate, and behind the numbers are lives. The numbers have said everything. Secondly, from a doctor’s point of view, the high population density in China, especially in the big cities, makes it certainly more harmful when the virus spreads. Also, the after-effects of the disease are uncertain. China’s healthcare system is open: patients are free to choose their hospitals and patients are free to move around. Patients, regardless of control measures, will infect other patients when they arrive at the hospital. This will cause widespread infection and a significant increase in mortality among other patients. Just imagine what you would think if the person who died was your loved one.

A Doctor, Xinjiang (CN)

To the Editor:

I have experienced city closures and have recently been quarantined. I think the vast majority of Chinese people wholeheartedly support the country’s ‘dynamic zero’ policy. This is seen as a way to ensure a relatively normal life for citizens and a normal economic development at minimal cost. China has a large and dense population. If the epidemic is not effectively managed, the absolute number of infections and deaths will be enormous, especially for the elderly. The Western ‘giving up(躺平)’ approach is not suitable for China, neither morally nor economically. On a moral level, traditional Chinese culture values the protection of the elderly. If the elderly in the family are put at risk through inaction, the psychological impact on the Chinese people is enormous. On an economic level, the Chinese people work hard and diligently, wanting social stability and improving quality of life through labor and employment. If the epidemic is severe and they become ill and partially incapacitated, it is a disaster for the family.

In addition, the strong support of the state is a motivation for people to maintain their belief in ‘zero covid’. The epidemic is a war, a war that can only be won when the government and the people are united. This sense of responsibility is in fact a contribution to the world economy. I don’t believe that if Chinese people are afraid to go out to work and spend money, it will do any good to the world economy. Therefore, I am very unimpressed by Western propaganda - Chinese people have Chinese priorities for doing things. The world should understand each other, and what suits you is what is good.

Xin Zhang, Xi’an (CN)

The Londoner

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