Strict lockdowns in China take their toll on residents

New Delhi: Strict lockdowns in the Chinese cities of Xian and Yuzhou are taking their toll on the population and healthcare systems, according to residents, with complaints of food shortages and dangerous delays in accessing medical care, The Guardian reported.

Xi’an, a city of 13 million people, has been under strict lockdown for nearly two weeks now, while Yuzhou’s 1.2 million residents have been ordered to stay inside since Monday evening, after three asymptomatic cases were discovered there.

Public transport, the use of private motor vehicles, and operation of all shops and venues not supplying daily necessities have all been suspended, the report said.

On China’s strictly monitored and regulated social media platforms, a significant number of residents have posted about their concerns and anxieties, despite generally broad support for authorities’ swift response to outbreaks, The Guardian reported.

Local media has reported concerning delays in the cities’ major hospitals, which require negative tests from patients before they can be admitted. A screenshot of one post which went viral before being deleted claimed a man and his sick father were turned away from a Xi’an hospital because they were from an area designated as higher risk.

The post said the man’s father was having a heart attack but died by the time he was admitted for treatment, the report said.

In another account posted to social media, a woman in labour lost her baby after she was prevented from entering a Xi’an hospital. In a since-deleted post, a relative described calling emergency services on the night of 1 January for their aunt after she started feeling pain, but the phone rang out, the report added.IANS