China’s zero-Covid policy sparks outcry again as woman, 55, dies in locked down Inner Mongolia compound
- Authorities in Hohhot pledge to improve Covid-19 control protocols after woman is found dead despite family calling for help
- Central health officials recently urged local authorities to avoid excessive disruption, amid growing public anger over zero-Covid excesses
The 55-year-old woman was found dead on Friday inside a community complex that was locked down on October 26 after two positive Covid-19 cases were reported.
The government of Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia, released a statement on Sunday, saying family members had contacted community workers on duty and called the local medical emergency hotline.
They wanted to report that she suffered from an anxiety disorder and had shown suicidal tendencies that required immediate medical attention. However, both the community management office and helpline failed to intervene or respond in time.
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“An investigation revealed that property management and community staff were slow to respond, did not respond properly, and lacked sensitivity to emergencies,” the statement said.
“[The incident] exposed the lag in residential property services and the shortcomings of community work, and also reflected the imperfection of the 120 emergency dispatch mechanism.”
Authorities also vowed to improve coronavirus control measures, investigate systemic problems, and to hold to account anyone found to have failed to prevent such incidents.
This comes a day after top Chinese health officials said local authorities should avoid excessive disruptions to public life, rectify malpractice and refine the zero-Covid approach to “adapt to changes in the virus”.
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Public anger over the human cost of excessive Covid-19 controls has been on the rise, as tragic incidents recur while the country holds fast to its stringent zero-Covid policy.
The death of the woman in Hohhot follows less than a week after a three-year-old boy under lockdown died of gas poisoning in neighbouring Gansu province, as his father pleaded in vain with the authorities to help get him to hospital. The tragedy sparked public outrage both locally and online.
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Authorities in provinces including Guizhou and Sichuan were also denounced for charging for quarantine facilities.
Mounting public grievances against prolonged zero-Covid curbs, enforced by often overzealous officials, have included food shortages in locked down communities and lives lost to medical emergencies or inadequate paperwork.
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The country would “hold fast” to its “dynamic zero-Covid” policy, an official from the National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday.
“Winter will see a new wave of Covid-19 globally,” Hu Xiang said, pointing out that outbreaks had rebounded in some parts of the country along with the risk of seasonal flu.
China’s southern Guangdong province is currently battling a growing Covid-19 outbreak, logging more than 1,450 new infections, or nearly a third of the 4,610 reported nationwide.
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The northwestern region of Xinjiang and northern Inner Mongolia have both registered a spike in cases.
As the pandemic and related restrictions also spur a mental health crisis, including among students, authorities in provinces like Fujian and Sichuan, as well as the city of Tianjin, have set up emergency hotline and counselling services, and are offering online workshops on mental health to young people.
