Earthquake in China’s Sichuan sparks outcry over covid lockdown
On Monday, a screenshot of a chat group was widely shared on social media, in which residents in the city of Chengdu were ordered by their building manager to stay in their apartments through the earthquake.
“Everyone, you may not go down the stairs!!” the building manager wrote. “You may not run!!!!”
The screenshot and other similar reports triggered a flood of public criticism, even drawing attention in state media. The official People’s Daily newspaper’s health news platform said that one of its reporters had called the building manager involved in the Chengdu incident, who said that, “No matter how severe the earthquake is, it can’t be that severe. It’s safest to stay at home.”
Stung by the nationwide backlash, a person claiming to be that building manager later posted online saying the earthquake was already over when he or she told residents not to run, and it was just a joke.
Chengdu’s health commission responded to the controversy Monday night, saying that people’s lives and safety should be prioritized in the case of earthquakes, fires and floods, over pandemic rules.
China’s leader Xi Jinping gave orders on Monday for rescue efforts to be given top priority in Sichuan. State media reported that more than 50,000 people had been relocated as of Tuesday morning, with more than 1,900 police officers and soldiers dispatched to the scene.
Most of the deaths took place in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, an area of Sichuan province encompassing Luding county, where most of the population is ethnic Tibetan. Some of the worst damage occurred in small towns, where buildings were leveled and roads rendered impassible by rubble.
The local branch of State Grid reported it had restored power to 20,000 households overnight. Several hundred people remained trapped on an expressway Tuesday morning.
One video in Chengdu showed a crowd of residents at the gate of their apartment complex, arguing to be let out. Employees on the other side refused to open it, with one yelling through a speakerphone that the buildings hadn’t collapsed. In another video, a man shakes the handle of a locked door, as he and other residents tried to leave their apartment building.
China’s southwest is often hit by earthquakes. In 2008, tens of thousands were killed when a powerful quake struck Sichuan province. In the aftermath, residents in the affected areas complained of an inadequate official response.
There have been safety concerns surrounding China’s inflexible coronavirus lockdowns since the earliest days of the pandemic,…
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