China will accelerate vaccination among elderly people after protests

The limited vaccination coverage among the elderly is one of the communist government's arguments to justify its strict health policy, which includes prolonged confinements, quarantines upon arrival from abroad and practically daily tests for the population.

Only 65,8% of people over 80 years of age have completed the vaccination schedule in the country, Commission directors reported. But progress in vaccination coverage could offer China a way out of its “zero Covid” policy.

In force for almost three years, this policy was the target of popular revolt over the weekend, with the largest demonstrations recorded in the country since the 1989 pro-democracy movement.

The frustration of many with the Chinese political system also influences the protests. Some protesters even called for the resignation of President Xi Jinping, who recently won his third term.

The element that triggered the protests was last week's fire in a building in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region (northwest), which left at least 10 dead. Many Chinese claim that firefighters' work has been hampered by restrictions brought about by the “zero Covid” strategy, which the Beijing government denies.

Large police presence

The Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai were under tight security this Tuesday, following large demonstrations demanding political freedom and the end of confinements.

On Monday night, in the city of Shanghai, close to where protests took place over the weekend, bar owners told AFP that they had been ordered to close their doors at 22 pm under the allegation of “epidemic control”.

Police officers were also positioned at the exits of subway stations. AFP journalists observed the moment when agents arrested four people and then released one. A reporter saw 12 police vehicles within 100 meters along the street where Sunday's protests were centered.

In Hong Kong, dozens of students gathered to pay tribute to the victims of the Urumqi fire. “Don’t look away, don’t forget,” the protesters shouted.

In Hangzhou, almost 170 kilometers southwest of Shanghai, small protests were recorded amid intense security in the city center.

“The authorities use the pretext of Covid, but use excessively strict confinements to control the Chinese population,” declared a 21-year-old protester.

The shadow of covid

The Chinese government insists on the 'zero Covid' policy, but there are signs that local authorities intend to relax some rules to contain the protests.

Em Urumqi, um funcionário do governo local disse que a cidade pagaria 300 yuanes (42 dólares) a cada pessoa “de baixa renda ou sem renda garantida” e anunciou uma moratória de cinco meses no aluguel para algumas famílias.

In Beijing, it was forbidden to lock the gates of residential areas with padlocks, state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday. The practice triggered a revolt by leaving people locked up in the face of small outbreaks of contagion.

An influential political analyst from the state press indicated that controls against Covid will be further reduced and that the population “will be calm soon”.

Stock market rises

Given the hope that the Chinese government will ease its anti-covid policy, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange ended Tuesday's session with a strong increase of 5,24%.

The Shanghai Stock Exchange closed up 2,31%, while the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the second most important in the country, advanced 2,14%.

(With AFP)