Guangzhou eases Covid restrictions amid anti-lockdown public sentiment


Authorities in the Guangdong provincial capital of Guangzhou announced the relaxation of a number of Covid restrictions on Wednesday, the South China Morning Post reported.

 The deputy director of Guangzhou’s health commission, Zhang Yi, said that lockdowns should be put in place and lifted quickly, as well as ended when it is time, to minimise the inconvenience caused to the public by control measures.

Authorities from the districts of Baiyun, Liwan and Panyu also announced that all areas under “temporary control” in those respective districts are now deemed low risk.

The measures were announced after the provincial Covid-19 working group met on Sunday.

Meanwhile, there have been reports of new anti-lockdown protests in Guangzhou on Tuesday night, according to witnesses and footage.

The Communist Party of China’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission (CPLAC) also recently emphasized the need to “resolutely crack down on infiltration and sabotage activities by hostile forces in accordance with the law, and resolutely crack down on illegal and criminal acts that disrupt social order, and effectively maintain overall social stability”’, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The readout quoted by Xinhua did not mention any specific situation but it took place after protests were held in major Chinese cities over the weekend against the lockdowns, which include calls for greater freedoms, which came following a deadly fire last week in Urumqi that led to many citizens on social media to blame Covid-19 strict restrictions and lockdowns for hampering rescue efforts.