CHINA REPORTS 3RD DAILY RECORD FOR COVID CASES

China on Saturday reported a third consecutive daily record for new cases amid social media reports of citizen protests against Covid-related restrictions including demonstrations in the northwestern city of Urumqi and sporadic ones in Beijing, indicating a seething resentment among people over lockdowns and unexplained curbs upending lives and shrinking incomes.

While the rest of the world has mostly moved on to an endemic existence with the virus, China continues to adhere to the recently eased but stringently implemented “zerocovid” policy of isolating every single infection with isolation, lockdowns and mass tests.

Given the fast spreading, and countrywide Omicron-driven outbreak, the worst since the pandemic began, the policy has disrupted normal lives and depressed the economy. China on Saturday reported 35,183 new infections for Friday including a handful of “imported” cases.

Citizen protests

Many reports of protest by citizens against China’s “zerocovid” rules were shared over social media through the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, giving a rare glimpse of the simmering anger among many residents over control policies.