Shannon Brandao
From the article: "Time [excerpt]: A year after #China abruptly scrapped its notoriously stringent zero-#COVID controls and amid a recent surge in respiratory illness cases, some Chinese citizens are starting to worry about a potential reintroduction of the controversial regime of mass testing and restrictions that defined the pandemic years in the country and ultimately led to an unprecedented eruption of public unrest.
Concerns coincide with new reports of COVID testing being brought back to airports and hospitals, as well as a notice issued by the education ministry on Monday urging schools around the country to step up prevention efforts for influenza viruses and COVID ahead of winter season. Rumors are also swirling on Chinese social media that the nationwide COVID-tracking #app is being reactivated in some provinces, with some users claiming that the app had never been taken down, though #censorship of a related hashtag has only fueled more speculation.
'Scenes like this make me feel really uncomfortable,' one Weibo user commented under a video of people in hazmat suits disinfecting a school in #Hebei province.
'There are widespread rumors that the health tracking app is being revived, and worries that there will be another lockdown… These worries probably won’t come true, unless there’s a new pandemic,' wrote another Weibo user. 'These worries really represent #fear and sadness about the past three years of #trauma, and hatred of the abuse of #power during COVID.'
What are Chinese authorities worried about?
In recent months, hospitals in China have dealt with a wave of #pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses among #children. Chinese authorities attributed the surge to cold season, known pathogens, and COVID. The wave has also been monitored by the World Health Organization, which has been in touch with Chinese authorities to provide more information about the respiratory pathogens. In November, the WHO noted that China had enhanced surveillance for respiratory illness since mid-October, covering various respiratory viruses and bacteria, and that the increase of respiratory illness was expected with the arrival of winter.
China experienced a sharp resurgence in COVID cases in May, fueled by the XBB variant, sparking worries across the world. But despite projections that China would see as many as 65 million COVID cases per week, public health experts at the time warned against panicking about the possibility of another pandemic emerging. #Publichealth experts have made similar evaluations about China’s most recent surge in respiratory illnesses."
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