COVID rules hamper earthquake rescue work in China

Rescue work after the recent earthquake in China was hampered by the country’s adherence to its COVID Zero strategy, sparking protests and adding another layer of tension to residents and emergency personnel in a region that has already suffered dozens of deaths.

After a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Monday in China’s vast southwest region, 140 miles from the provincial capital of Sichuan, anti-coronavirus controls were put in place to control an emerging outbreak nearby that has shut down a city of 21 million people. Officials enforce the rules rigorously despite the obstacles they place for workers trying to ensure safety in the wake of the natural disaster that has killed 74 people. No outside rescuers were allowed into the epicenter to help.

The requirements are part of a zero-tolerance approach to COVID espoused by President Xi Jinping, who has touted the country’s success in reducing deaths that are still accumulating rapidly in most parts of the world. However, politics comes at an increased cost to the economy and people. There was no relief even in times of crisis, such as the Sichuan wildfires last month when exposed workers ran PCR tests before hell.

People pass relief supplies at a temporary shelter in Moxi Township, Luoding County, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, September 5, 2022.

Shen Bohan / Xinhua via Getty Images

Daily COVID Tests

The current outbreak in China, fueled by a more contagious variant that has swept every province in recent weeks, poses a challenge to authorities ahead of the Communist Party congress where Xi is expected to secure an unprecedented third term as the country’s leader. 1,334 infections were reported on Wednesday, a month in which the number of cases exceeded 1,000 a day.

In Luding County, where the earthquake occurred, rescue personnel must perform COVID tests on a daily basis, and entering indoor spaces requires multiple checks, according to a statement from the local virus prevention office that has since been deleted. Workers need approval from the local COVID monitoring office, get a negative test result within 24 hours and keep a green health code to enter the area. The statement said they need another PCR test to reach the controlled area.

Read more: Don’t expect China to ease its coronavirus elimination policy anytime soon

The earthquake came on the heels of a heat wave and drought that caused an electrical crisis in the area. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and home to the famous panda sanctuary, was closed down last week as coronavirus cases rose.

A destroyed building is seen in Moxi Town on September 6, 2022 in Luoding County, Garzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China.

VCG / VCG via Getty Images

Frustration grows with China’s coronavirus rules

The restrictions have caused frustration and concern. Local authorities told residents of the quake-hit area trying to stay with friends and family that they should learn and report COVID control requirements in new areas in advance. They can only leave with a negative test result.

People in some neighborhoods were not allowed to leave their homes, according to posts and videos circulating on Chinese social media. Restrictions have been placed on the entire area. No outside groups were allowed in to help with the rescue work toward the COVID Prevention Department of Ganzi County in Sichuan, home of the quake-hit county.

Lao Donjian, a law professor at Tsinghua University, said on social media platform Weibo that she did not believe the COVID rules for rescuers and earthquake victims were real. Her post has been shared 22,000 times and has attracted over 3,500 comments, most of whom agree with her and say the request was insane. Someone said people could die from the earthquake, but they couldn’t catch COVID.

The potential repercussions of the COVID measures came into sharp relief with the tremors triggered by the earthquake in the closed city of Chengdu, where people were only allowed to leave their homes at certain times. A widely shared social media post showed the exit of an apartment complex that had been blocked due to COVID controls, even as people were trying to escape the building.

“It’s COVID in the basement (where people line up for COVID tests), earthquake is upstairs (where people feel the tremors),” one social media user wrote in a post.

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