Chris Lange, FISM News
Residents of the Chinese city of Xi’an are being forced to rely on government workers to bring them food as they endure one of the country’s strictest COVID-19 lockdowns since the outbreak of the pandemic. Many in the district are no longer able to leave their homes even to go to the grocery store or drug store.
Authorities have assured the city’s 13 million residents that they will be provided with necessities; however, disturbing reports have emerged indicating that many are going hungry and have resorted to begging and bartering for food, according to the BBC.
Some have taken to China’s Weibo social media platform to describe their ordeals, despite the risk of retaliation from Communist authorities.
“I heard other districts are gradually getting supplies, but I didn’t get anything,” one user posted. “My compound bans us from going out. I ordered some groceries online four days ago, but no sign of getting it at all. I haven’t been able to get any vegetables for days.”
Another said: “The allocation is so uneven. The district I’m based in hasn’t got anything. We are told to group up and order together. The price is very high as well.”
“[F]inding enough to eat has suddenly become a difficult task,” wrote Xi’an-based writer Jiang Xue.
The harsh lockdown was put into effect on Dec. 23 after 100 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, though it is not yet clear whether the infections were caused by the newest Omicron variant. The people of Xi’an were initially allowed to leave their homes twice a week to get supplies under the measure; currently, however, those who live in more highly-populated areas or locations experiencing higher infection rates are not permitted to exit their homes at all. Additionally, special permission is required for residents to leave the city.
A video circulating on social media shows residents of a Xi’an compound arguing with police over supply shortages. A man can be seen telling authorities his family has run out of food while a woman in the background says, “We’ve been locked down for 13 days. Residents’ basic life can’t be sustained. We queued for three to four hours [to buy vegetables]. But they don’t allow it to be sold anymore.”
Another video purportedly shows guards attacking a man caught attempting to deliver food to family members, according to reporting by The Northwest Arkansas Democratic Gazette.
On Tuesday, the city of Yuzhou in China’s Henan Province was placed under a similar lockdown following the discovery of three, asymptomatic cases of the virus in a two-day period. Authorities have closed the city’s transport system and banned road travel for most. While essential food shops are currently exempted from forced business closures, only epidemic prevention workers are allowed out.
Many nations are finding ways to cope with COVID-19 and emerging variants, but China continues to maintain its “zero COVID” strategy.
Zhang Canyou, a member of the State Council’s epidemic prevention and control team, acknowledges that “there may be supply pressure in communities,” but said authorities “will go all-out to coordinate resources to provide people with daily necessities and medical services.”