Sichuan, a landlocked, southwestern province in China, has turned into a disaster-stricken area in the past month.
On top of the natural disasters such as record high temperatures, historic drought, rampant wildfires, and floods, to the latest earthquake, Sichuan is also dealing with the Chinese regime’s strict pandemic prevention measures.
Extreme Weather
In July and August, Sichuan and Chongqing experienced extreme heat waves that lasted more than 70 days, which goes on record as the worst heat wave in China since 1961. On Aug. 18, Chongqing Municipality registered a record high of 45 C (113 F).The high temperatures, coupled with a dearth of rain, brought a severe drought that led to cracked dry mud in many farmlands, and even sections of the Yangtze River dried up, which affected the production of hydroelectricity in the province.
Not only the farmers are suffering, the manufacturing sector was forced to stop the processing lines, household power was off, and electric car stations were closed.
Tightening Controls
The upcoming national meeting of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has the entire country further tightening its zero-COVID policy.While major cities, such as, Chengdu and Chongqing, also felt the quake, despite the aftershocks that continued to rattle the area and severe damage to houses and roads, the authorities insisted on enforcing the zero-COVID policy—residents were locked inside their homes, and people still queued for PCR testing.
Netizens revealed that during the earthquake, residents remained confined to their apartments or residential complexes. They could not escape because the lobby doors were locked. Many were simply ordered to go back upstairs by the pandemic prevention workers at the residential complexes.
Locals’ Sadness
Online videos showed residents trying to break the locked doors, or arguing with the community staff in hopes of leaving the epicenter, but the community staff allegedly responded, “Has the building collapsed?”Many local residents expressed their sadness online while enduring the catastrophe.
Some netizen responses to the COVID curbs on top of the natural disasters best describe the irony of the policy.
One netizen wrote, “Please follow the strict measures: Only one person per family can leave, with a 2-hour limit each time.”
Another said, “Don’t run when there’s an earthquake, the body temperature will get too high when you run; and you’ll not be able to get back in the apartment with a high body temperature!”
A netizen stated, “When the earthquake struck, my first reaction was not to run or hide, but to protect my cell phone subconsciously. Maybe I was afraid that the house would collapse and I would be buried alive; and when the rescue workers came, they would refuse to dig me out because I could not show them my green QR code and PCR test result.”