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Millions of people worked in China’s mass testing system. Now they’re out of a job
- Huge army of ‘big whites’ in hazmat suits are scrambling to find work after the zero-Covid policy came to an abrupt end
- Most testing booths have been closed down, and there’s also a mountain of medical supplies that are no longer needed
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Regular testing has been a part of life for many in China during the pandemic. It also created millions of jobs.
Pharmacist Zhao Yonggang had been taking throat swabs at PCR testing booths in Beijing since May. But when the zero-Covid policy was suddenly abandoned in early December, mass testing was no longer required – and neither were the workers.
The agency that hired him cut the number of testing sites from 100 to seven, his working hours were halved and so was his pay. He is currently taking home 200 yuan (US$29) a day.
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“There are fewer and fewer testing sites now,” said Zhao, who is from Xian in the northwestern province of Shaanxi. “I can’t find a proper job, so I’ll go back home.”
Zhao is one of the millions of people who have been working at these testing sites, the front line of China’s battle against the virus over the past three years. Medical workers, laboratory technicians, temporary staff and guards were all part of the mass testing system that was integral to China’s zero-Covid policy.
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Now this huge army of “big whites” – named for their white hazmat suits – are scrambling to find new jobs.
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