China locks down 65 million as holiday travel peak looms

Its sort of re-assuring to know that all Taiwan has to do defend itself in the event of a war is to get someone to cough on a soldier from the mainland and then they’ll immediately quarantine the entire PLA.

Good. Keep ‘em there.

They started this mess.

Immature and regressive tactics in place again by the fascists in control. Are they so blind to the current situation to believe this lockdown lark serves any purpose?

The Chinese are pretty much the most clueless in the world about Covid. Locking down cities for years on end is no longer going to work.

This will backfire and hopefully turn even more citizens against the Communist party. Let us all hope for civil unrest and major security issues in China.

There is little we could do to harm China or it’s economy that isn’t left in the shade by the efforts of their own government.

I look forward to watching the next ten years of successful zero covid policy just like the last two!

I think the numbers are much higher than China cares to put out there.

Chinese Covid vaccines are not very good and even if China locked down the country for the 100 years with Zero Covid policy, the virus will still be there.

The economy will fall apart.

Time to change the responses to the virus and restart the open market policies after the heavy hands by the President that sent companies reeling.

I really wonder what these zero covid countries end game is, it's not like it's going to disappear. Are they just gonna shut down forever?

I appluad the zero covid policy by China as it both restricts the spread of this disease amongst 1.4 billion but it also works to turn citizens against Jinping Xi and his leadership of China. Both are goals to shoot for in China.

Such a bad time to be Chinese.

everyone getting a good look at socialism/communism?

Nobody apart from you. China is neither socialist nor communist.

Just remember, this is the future they want for you and your families.

The dark, ominous 'They'.

Zero Covid in China, like Japan's tourist block, has no basis in medical science. It's entirely political. It will eventually undermine belief in Xi and the CCP - something the US has never even come close to.

They have just launched a new anti-Covid inhaler. It will be interesting to see if they use it as an excuse to escape the corner they have painted themselves into, or carry on regardless.

The problem with the zero covid policy is that it has huge costs with very limited benefits compared with how other countries have managed to control the pandemic. Lockdowns in 2020 were justified by their high efficacy at stopping spreading and the much higher risk from each of those infections, but in 2022 there is simply no scientific justification. There is a reason why no international expert says this is the correct approach this year and instead scientific authorities like the WHO have qualified it as unsustainable.

Just an endless repetition of lockdowns and outbreaks without end, meanwhile other countries have reduced the risk from covid close to background levels thanks to much better justified control measures like putting an emphasis on effective vaccination.

And to imagine some countries prefer more deaths, infections, and worse economic growth. And then criticize China--for having the success that eludes those countries. Sore losers.

There is absolutely no need to prefer more deaths, they just don't hide them as china officially does by blaming any other disease instead of covid, the zero covid policy is a factor that worsens economic growth, which is also another reason why there is no international experts praising China. Criticism is based on solid scientific arguments, vaccines and reasonable control is better than letting people die because they can't access health services, it can protect the population better and do not require to trample human rights.

Again, there is a reason why the Chinese way of dealing with the pandemic is not being praised by any international experts; on the opposite, articles (and global medical authorities) are uniformly criticizing it.

The issue is the once the emperor (in this case Xi Jinping) has made a decision, there is generally no way it can be changed. It is all about loss of face. But he WILL eventually have to admit that the policy of zero Covid does not work,and then his mandate from heaven is finished.

But before that happens expect the economy and standard of living in China to continue to tank, with severe knock-on effects for the rest of the world.

This is going to be very fun to watch over the next few years as their policy drains them of all international business and cripples their economy leading to rebellion.

OR, they know something we don't?? Like after the next 3 mutations the programed virus goes into "life extinction mode"! Now these seemingly senseless efforts make complete sense. NaHahahahha

everyone getting a good look at socialism/communism?

Good.

Just remember, this is the future they want for you and your families.

I'd like to say that they know what they are doing, however, I'm not so sure they do.

China and Canada have governments that are squashing freedom. Japan is getting better.

Canada's Trudeau threatened, 3 days ago, to impose some kind of permanent COVID vaccine mandate on the entire country if people are more than 6 months past their last shot and will continue to have a "hybrid" parliament that restricts democracy.

China reported a total of 1,552 new cases on Monday across the nation of 1.4 billion people,

China is having great success keeping its infections and rates the lowest in the world. Well-deserved recognition for their efforts to keep their citizens and their economy healthy, while the rest of the world is seeing their economies suffer, never mind losing millions of citizens to deaths attributed or related to Covid.

Elvis is hereToday  06:55 am JST

If lockdowns still work, how can cases keep increasing?

If masks still work, how can cases keep rising in Japan? If vaccines still work, how can cases keep rising in New Zealand?

How do lockdowns work? Because they keep daily cases in Chengdu down to something like 170.

Elvis is hereToday  06:00 am JST

Yes. Pretty hefty if you consider that's the like the population of the UK who is on the brink of a recession.

So, the UK is not under lockdown, but the country is in recession, while a city in China the size of the UK is under lockdown but the country China is not in a recession. Which country is doing better economically?

And not just the UK, practically all of Europe is in a recession. So, more covid infections and deaths than China, and worse economic conditions. And some people say zero covid is not sustainable--when it has been sustained for almost 3 years. Funny "understanding" of economics.

https://news.yahoo.com/europe-heading-recession-cost-living-095304592.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

The problem with the zero covid policy is that it has huge costs with very limited benefits compared with how other countries have managed to control the pandemic. 

And to imagine some countries prefer more deaths, infections, and worse economic growth. And then criticize China--for having the success that eludes those countries. Sore losers.

douglas wellsToday  12:44 am JST

I think the numbers are much higher than China cares to put out there.

No doubt.

But when comparing to other countries, it all balances out I believe:

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/05/health/covid-excess-mortality-who-data/index.html

China locks down 65 million as holiday travel peak looms

Sounds like a big deal!

Until you look at the population of China, which is about 1.4 billion.

So, this lockdown affects less than 5% of the population. Compare to Melbourne Australia, which last October was known as the world's most locked down city--it had 260 days of lock down.

And represented about 20% of Australia's population! How Draconian.

Elvis is hereToday  09:11 pm JST

An obvious fact. China’s GDP growth stood at 2.5 per cent in the first half of 2022 and is projected to miss this year’s 5.5 per cent target. 

The UK is on the brink of a recession. It's GDP is projected to be less than 5.5%. Australia's GDP is expected to be 4%. New Zealand GDP projected at 2.6%.

So is there really something significant about 5.5% GDP? Which is actually pretty positive growth anytime.

Although it's not Eleven.