China suspends social media accounts of Covid policy critics

China has suspended or closed the social media accounts of more than 1,000 critics of the government’s policies on the Covid-19 surge even as the country moves to further open up after prolonged closure.

The popular Sina Weibo social media platform said it had addressed 12,854 violations including attacks on experts, scholars and medical workers and issued temporary or permanent bans on 1,120 accounts.

The ruling Communist Party had largely relied on the medical community to justify its harsh lockdowns, quarantine measures and mass testing, almost all of which it abruptly abandoned last month following the most intense street protests since the 1980s.

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The sudden opening up has led to a surge in new cases that have stretched medical resources to their limits.

The Communist Party allows no direct criticism and imposes strict limits on free speech.

Criticism in China

Sina Weibo said it will continue to increase the clean-up of all kinds of illegal content and create a harmonious and friendly community environment for the majority of users.

Criticism has largely focused on open-ended travel restrictions that saw people confined to their homes for weeks, sometimes without adequate food or medical care.

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Anger was also vented over the requirement that anyone who potentially tested positive or had been in contact with such a person be confined for observation in a field hospital, where overcrowding, poor food and hygiene were commonly cited.

The social and economic costs eventually prompted rare street protests in Beijing and other cities, possibly influencing the party’s decision to swiftly ease the strictest measures.

China is now facing a surge in cases and hospitalisations in major cities. It is bracing for a further spread into less developed areas with the start of the Lunar New Year travel rush.

People told not to travel

The Transportation Ministry on Friday called on travellers to reduce trips and gatherings, particularly if they involve elderly people, pregnant women, small children and those with underlying conditions.

People using public transport are also urged to wear masks and pay special attention to their health and personal hygiene, Vice Minister Xu Chengguang told reporters.

However, China is going ahead with a plan to end mandatory quarantines for people arriving from abroad beginning on Sunday.

Beijing also plans to drop a requirement for students at city schools to have a negative Covid-19 test to enter campus when classes resume on February 13 after the holiday break.

While schools will be allowed to move classes online in the event of new outbreaks, they must return to in-person instruction as soon as possible, the city education bureau said.

Global worries

Governments elsewhere have announced virus testing requirements for travellers from China.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed concern about the lack of data from China.

Chinese official data include only officially confirmed cases and use a very narrow definition of Covid-related deaths.

On Sunday, the National Health Commission reported 10,681 new domestic cases, bringing China’s total number to 482,057. Three new deaths were also reported, taking the total to 5,267.

These are much smaller than the estimates being released by some local governments. Zhejiang, a province on the east coast, said on Tuesday it was seeing about one million new cases a day.

(With Agency inputs)