Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 358

China's zero-Covid policy will fail

We're done with the pandemic. It's not yet done with us. The finish line depends on where you live. Critically, China's zero-Covid policy will fail.In the developed world, the end is near. You wouldn't think so, given the explosion of cases of the newly dominant and highly transmissible Omicron variant. But those record levels of infections are encountering highly vaccinated populations—bolstered

China’s public dutifully obeyed COVID lockdowns for 2 years. Now two women’s miscarriages are sparking backlash

Since January 2020, when Beijing shut down the city of Wuhan to contain the world's original COVID-19 outbreak, China's citizens have borne with remarkable stoicism even the most draconian of their government's measures to fight the virus.Wuhan residents endured a harrowing lockdown that dragged on for 76 days. As the virus spread to other cities, hundreds of millions of Chinese dutifully

With Another Outbreak in Henan, China Battles to Beat the Virus

As the number of COVID-19 infections in the northwestern city of Xi’an gradually declines, dozens of cases in a neighboring province have posed challenges for authorities to contain the virus surge that has prolonged for nearly three months. Six cities in the central Henan province logged 64 of the country’s 132 locally transmitted infections on Wednesday, according to the National Health

After Tragedies, Xi’an Promises Better Health Care Amid Lockdown

Authorities in the northwestern city of Xi’an said Friday that hospitals weren’t allowed to turn away patients seeking medical treatment, even amid the strict coronavirus-related protocols, following multiple incidents that led to loss of lives.The municipal government said health care facilities must accept patients regardless of having a negative COVID-19 test result, apologizing for the

In Beijing's subway, English names are being replaced by romanized Chinese ahead of Winter Olympics

As Beijing welcomed 2022, residents in the Chinese capital noticed a subtle shift taking place in the city's subway: on signs, the English word "station" has been replaced with "Zhan," the pinyin, or romanized version, of the Chinese character. And in some cases, English station names such as Olympic Park and Terminal 2 of the Beijing airport have become "Aolinpike Gongyuan" and "2 Hao

We’re Entering the Year of the Tiger: Here’s What It Means

Chinese New Year is on Tuesday, February 1st. Also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, Chinese New Year is celebrated at the second new moon following the Winter Solstice. This festival marks the end of winter and the beginning of a long-awaited spring! According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. So what does the Year of the Tiger have in store for us? And will it

Indians give Chinese places hilarious names after China renames 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh

After China announced standardized names for 15 places in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, India reacted strongly, saying that the state is an integral part of India and China does not have the right to rename places. However, Indians on Twitter rose to the occasion, naming Chinese places with Indian names in a hilarious engagement.On December 30, 2021, the Chinese state-run

Xi'an lockdown brings heartbreak and dysfunction as political pressure to contain outbreak grows

As the locked down Chinese city of Xi'an claimed victory this week in its fight to contain the community spread of Covid-19, harrowing tales of loss and despair have emerged on social media -- highlighting the immense human cost of China's zero-Covid policy. The city of 13 million has been under strict lockdown since December 23, as it grapples with the country's worst coronavirus outbreak since

China: Is it burdening poor countries with unsustainable debt?

China has faced criticism for its lending practices to poorer countries, accused of leaving them struggling to repay debts and therefore vulnerable to pressure from Beijing. But that is rejected by China, which accuses some in the West of promoting this narrative to tarnish its image. It says: "There is not a single country that has fallen into [a] so-called 'debt trap' as a result of borrowing

Xi'an: The messy cost of China's Covid lockdown playbook

With residents pleading for help while locked in their homes, and accounts of people being turned away from hospitals, the stories emerging from the Chinese city of Xi'an in recent days may sound all too familiar. All 13 million residents have been on lockdown the past two weeks and harsh measures have been put in place to battle an outbreak, with more 1,800 cases detected so far.Local