Zero-Covid or lives? Deadly quake in China prompts disaster protocol for locked down Chengdu

When lives are at risk, safety is the priority, Chengdu health authorities say, as viral video shows residents blocked from leaving after quake hits

Covid-19 controls should not be totally abandoned and adequate preventive measures must be taken at every stage, statement adds

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Medical workers transfer patients to a safe area in Shimian county in Yaan city of Sichuan province after the earthquake on September 5. Photo: Xinhua via AP

Published: 7:24pm, 6 Sep 2022Updated: 8:31pm, 6 Sep 2022

Residents under Covid-19 lockdown can leave their homes in case of life-threatening emergencies like an earthquake, health authorities in China’s southwestern city of Chengdu have clarified.

This came after viral online posts showed people being barred from leaving their residential area even as the city was rocked by a 6.8-magnitude quake on Monday afternoon.

Chengdu was among several areas of Sichuan province affected by the strong and shallow quake that has left more than 60 people dead, with at least 15 others still missing.

Neighbouring provinces were also jolted by the 12.52pm quake, which had its epicentre in Luding county in Garze prefecture on the Tibetan border.

Chengdu, home to more than 21 million, has been under lockdown since Thursday over a Covid-19 flare-up. People have been ordered to stay home as citywide nucleic acid tests are carried out as part of China’s dynamic zero-Covid policy, which aims to cut transmission chains at the earliest.