The announcement by the Chinese city authorities of their intention to impose closure decisions in the face of the influenza outbreak sparked angry reactions from the Chinese on social media.
Xi’an, a tourist hotspot in Shaanxi province, unveiled an emergency response plan this week to close schools, businesses and “other crowded places” if the number of flu patients continues to rise.
This trend raises, according to the network “CNN“, feelings of anxiety and anger among many activists on social media in China, who saw that the plan “looked uncomfortably similar to some of Beijing’s strict measures during the epidemic that were recently lifted.”
And one of the users wrote on the “Weibo” communication site, that the authorities should “vaccinate citizens instead of using this time to create a sense of panic.”
While another asked: “How can people not panic after the authorities announced their intention to suspend work and commercial activities, without clear instructions being issued at the national level to classify the disease?”
While cases of Covid-19 are declining in China, flu cases are on the rise across the country, and some pharmacies are struggling to meet demand for treatments for the disease.
The city, which has a population of about 13 million people, has put in place 4 levels of measures to confront any future outbreak.
At the first and highest level, the authorities say, “the city can close the affected areas, implement a quarantine on them and suspend production and business activities. Shopping centers, theatres, libraries, museums, tourist attractions and other crowded places will also be closed.”
“Schools and nurseries will also be closed at all levels and will be responsible for tracking the health conditions of students and infants,” she added, according to what “CNN” quoted the authorities as saying.
The concerns of the city’s citizens and the general Chinese appear, after China imposed strict measures, throughout the duration of the epidemic, including closures that lasted for months in some cities.
The citizens of Xi’an, in turn, faced a comprehensive lockdown that lasted for weeks, including those who were left facing shortages of food and other basic supplies, such as access to medical services, according to the network.