China suspends social media accounts of critics of COVID policy

Beijing: China has suspended or shut down social media accounts of more than 1,000 critics of the government's policies on the COVID-19 outbreak. The popular Sina Weibo social media platform said it had addressed 12,854 violations, including attacks on experts, scholars and medical personnel, and issued temporary or permanent bans on 1,120 accounts.

The ruling Communist Party had largely relied on the medical community to justify its harsh lockdowns, quarantine measures and mass testing, almost all of which it abruptly abandoned last month, leading to a surge in new cases that have pushed medical resources to their limits. The party makes no direct criticism and imposes strict limits on freedom of expression. Sina Weibo said in a statement on Thursday that the company "will continue to increase the investigation and cleanup of all types of illegal content, and create a harmonious and friendly community environment for most users."

Criticism has largely focused on open-ended travel restrictions, which saw people confined to their homes for weeks, sometimes without adequate food or medical care. Anger was also vented over the need that anyone who tested potentially positive or was in contact with such a person should be limited to surveillance at the field hospital, where overcrowding, poor food and hygiene are usually cited.

Social and economic costs eventually prompted rare street protests in Beijing and other cities, possibly affecting the party's decision to sharply ease stricter measures. China is now facing a surge in cases and hospital admissions in major cities and is poised for further spread to less developed regions with the onset of lunar New Year travel rush starting in the coming days. While international flights are still low, officials say they expect domestic rail and air travel to double compared to the same period last year, bringing the total number closer to the 2019 holiday period before the pandemic. The transport ministry on Friday called on commuters to reduce trips and gatherings, especially if they include elderly people, pregnant women, young children and people with underlying conditions.

People using public transport are also urged to wear masks and pay special attention to their health and personal hygiene, Deputy Minister Xu Chengguang told reporters. Nonetheless, China is moving ahead with plans to end mandatory quarantine for people arriving from abroad from Sunday.

Beijing also plans to waive the need for a negative Covid-19 test to enter campus when classes resume on February 13 after a holiday break for students in the city's schools. Schools will be allowed to move online classes in the event of a new outbreak, but they will have to return to in-person instruction as soon as possible, the city's education bureau said in a statement on Friday. However, the lack of basic data such as the end of mass testing, the number of deaths, infections and severe cases, and the possible emergence of new variants have prompted governments to establish virus testing requirements for travellers to China. The World Health Organization has also expressed concern about the lack of data from China, while the US requires a negative test result for travelers from China within 48 hours of departure. Chinese health authorities publish daily counts of new cases, severe cases and deaths, but those numbers include only officially confirmed cases...