For almost two years, China has been able to pull off a “dynamic zero case” solution to COVID, which is achieved by unpredictable but swift mass testing + mass lockdown at small local levels. It seemed to have worked.
Some people pointed at Shanghai when Disney was shut down and a massive testing was organized for the visitors because one person from infected area went there. After a few days of targeted restrictions the Shanghai COVID case number was reset to 0. (it is not an actual reset, it is just that there is zero new case, the count is reset)
Some other cities repeated similar successes. Although there were complains, they were erased successfully.
Then Xi’an, a city of 13 million people.
When we first covered the story on Dec 20th, they did targeted restrictions, mass testing, lockdown, martial law. But the cases have not reset to 0 yet.
I collected the data by manually extract it from day to day report on different websites.
dec 23rd Cumulative cases: 234, New cases:91 - The city wide lockdown was implemented.
dec 24th Cumulative cases: 255, New cases:49
dec 25th Cumulative cases: 330, New cases: 75
dec 26th Cumulative cases: 485, New cases:155
dec 27th Cumulative cases: 635, New cases:150
dec 28th Cumulative cases: 811, New cases:175 - The Martial law was declared.
dec 29th Cumulative cases: 962, New cases:155
dec 30th Cumulative cases: 1117, New cases:155
dec 31st Cumulative cases: 1277, New cases:161
Jan 1st Cumulative cases: 1451, New cases:174
Jan 2nd Cumulative cases: 1573, New cases:122
Jan 3rd Cumulative cases: 1663, New cases:90
Today, Xi’an has 90 new cases. Still not reset!.
If you remember how the movements of people were restricted, you might agree that the fact the number of new cases still rose until Jan 1st is a bit surprising.
A hard deadline for 0 new case by Jan 4th was circulating on both Weibo and Twitter, even though I could not find Chinese media report of it. All I could find is an RFI report :
(selected rough translation)
Why is the method of Xi'an so brutal? From Shaanxi Provincial Party Secretary Liu Guozhong's statement, we can see some clue. On the night of January 1, the secretary said that "we are experiencing a big test of the war [on Covid], we have to persist as long as we are in the trench", "We must achieve the goal of a comprehensive social zero on January 4".
Rumors say that it was the Dear Supreme Leader who wanted the new case number to be reset to 0 by Jan 5th. And usually, the downstream in the officialdom will move the goal post a big closer: so the Provincial Party Secretary moved the deadline to 4th to please the boss.
Screenshot of NetEase news: “newest command: Xi’an must be reset to 0 on the 4th.”
People are talking about a whole building being evacuated by buses out of Xi’an because there was one confirmed case in the building. People are wondering if “reset to 0 cases” means getting all of the cases out of Xi’an? So this is where Xi’an is now.
Allegdely buses of people being driven out of Xi’an.
Today’s twitter is flooded with sad stories: of a man who lost his father to heart attack because no hospital will accept him, a woman who lost her 8 month old fetus due to lack of medical attention and the fatigue and coldness of being driven out of her home to be quarantined.
Of course there are also people vouching that everything looks well and all is good.
Hold your breath for the 0 of tomorrow.
One of the districts in Xi’an that has most cases is Yantaqu. Many people complained of the ineffectiveness of the management. The district put up a show to impress everyone. They put many people stand side by side to each other to pass the food delivery.
Afterwards, they also organized people to sing songs. On twitter, people say that confirmed cases were found and people were bused away.
This show did not win them the heart and mind of social media audience. Instead, many mock them for wasting human resources on directing a stupid movie when people are going hungry.
Very swiftly, the district chiefs (one party secretary, one administration chief) were sacked.
Two years ago, a Dr. Li Wenliang in Wuhan saw the first lab result of a covid patient and he sent out warnings to his colleagues in a Wechat group.
He was summonned by the police exactly two years ago today. He was scolded for spreading rumors. He was made to sign a statement that asked him :
Q: “The public security hopes that you can cooperate with our work and listen to the warning of the police. Stop your illegal act. Can you?”
Li: “I can.”
Q: “We hope you calm down and think carefully and we are telling you: if you insist on continuing your illegal activities, you will be punished by the law. Understand?”
Li: I Understand.
Dr. Li went back to work. He worked day and night when COVID patients overwhelmed his hospital. Later he himself was infected and died. Chinese netizens posted “We want freedom of speech” on social media in response.
So, today, the netizens who want to remember him tried using the hashtag “I cannot, I don’t understand” on social media. Of course the hashtag is blocked.
Many people ask, after two years, are we better than Wuhan?
Two years ago, we had the writer Fang Fang who documented the sufferings of Wuhan people, and we have citizen journalists like Zhang Zhan,Chen Qiushi, Fang Bin, who reported on what was happenning.
Of course, Fang Fang has been villified. Zhang Zhan is perishing in jail. Chen Qiushi was disappeared for one year and a half, and he remains silent about his experience since his return. Fang Bin is still disappeared.
Some people say it is worse because no one is there to speak for the people any more, and there is this health code to make controlling people much easier.
Some people say, under such strict internet censorship, the fact that stories of people’s hardship can still slip out means ordinary people are no longer afraid to tell their stories.