Opinion | The long-term toll of living under China’s long zero-Covid shadow

The social and economic costs of the policy are highlighted by Shanghai Disneyland’s shutdown and an exodus from the country’s biggest iPhone plant

Critics wonder whether the measures are meant to control people, rather than stop the spread of the virus

Reading Time:3 minutes

Thousands of people must remain inside the Shanghai Disney Resort until they test negative for the coronavirus three days in a row. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:12pm, 1 Nov 2022Updated: 4:16pm, 2 Nov 2022

The chorus of people inside and outside mainland China questioning Beijing’s zero-Covid policy is growing.

Two incidents in particular show the enormous social and economic costs of implementing the policy and the fear it evokes in the public.

In Shanghai, Disneyland is closed again, trapping more than 10,000 visitors until they test negative for the coronavirus three times in three days.

Meanwhile in Zhengzhou, central China, at the world’s biggest iPhone assembly plant, workers have been scaling walls and walking along highways to escape an outbreak at the factory.

As social media posts of the exodus surfaced on the weekend, factory owner Foxconn tried to salvage the situation with extra pay for workers who stayed behind, and Zhengzhou authorities sent buses to pick up people who wanted to leave.

In both cases, the businesses will have to shoulder the extra costs and operational losses, only further undermining investor confidence.

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