Why China Can’t Backtrack On Its ‘Zero COVID’ Policy

China, deemed a success story in the early days of the pandemic for keeping the virus at bay while also being the only major economy to report GDP growth in 2020, increasingly looks like it has pushed itself into a corner by sticking to its “zero COVID” policy.

Three years into pandemic, people in China appear fed up and prepared to take a stand against the draconian measures that have seen entire cities locked down.

In a strong sign of opposition to President Xi Jinping’s ruling party, people took to the streets over the weekend in at least eight cities, animated by reports of a deadly fire in an apartment building in Urumqi, which has been under lockdown for months. Some suggested anti-COVID measures hindered rescue efforts in the blaze that killed 10 people and injured nine. Authorities have denied the allegations.

The government has since tried to regain control, suppressing protests planned for Monday. In Beijing, police officers flooded protesters’ meeting point, forcing the cancellation of a demonstration, according to the BBC.

Meanwhile, Chinese cities started rolling back some of their coronavirus measures. Beijing on Monday said it will no longer erect barriers blocking apartment compounds where positive cases are found, according to The Associated Press.

But backtracking from the zero COVID policy altogether poses serious challenges for Xi — and may not be best for public health anyway, experts said.

The Chinese government has adopted what it calls a “dynamic zero” COVID approach. When even a small outbreak is located, the country conducts mass testing, and imposes quarantine and lockdown mandates to prevent the virus from spreading.

Earlier in the pandemic, other countries had similar policies, including Australia and New Zealand.

China is the world’s only major economy sticking to this approach, according to the BBC.

China, with a vast population of over 1.4 billion, has managed to keep its reported COVID death toll significantly lower than other countries — recording over 30,100 deaths and a total of over 9.6 million cases since the start of the pandemic. The U.S., with a population of over 331 million, has recorded a total of more than 97 million confirmed cases and over 1 million deaths.

While China’s policy has come with costs, the government appears determined to maintain it.

“Our COVID-19 policy is the most scientifically effective, the most economical, and yields the best result,”…