January 9, 2023
2 mins read

China clears Covid critics from social media

China scrapped its strict zero-Covid policy in December and has seen a rapid surge of infections and deaths….reports Asian Lite News

China has taken down more than 1,000 social media accounts – some with millions of followers – that criticised the government’s Covid policies.

Social media platform Weibo said it had suspended or banned accounts for what it described as personal attacks against Chinese Covid specialists, The BBC reported.

Weibo did not specify which posts had prompted the action.

China scrapped its strict zero-Covid policy in December and has seen a rapid surge of infections and deaths.

Online criticism has until recently largely focused on the strict enforcement of Covid regulations, including lockdowns that required people to stay at home in isolation for weeks.

But recent posts have taken aim at experts who have defended the sudden decision to drop restrictions, despite supporting them just weeks ago, The BBC reported.

Weibo said it had spotted almost 13,000 violations, including attacks on experts, scholars and medical workers. Temporary or permanent bans have been handed to 1,120 accounts.

“It is not acceptable to hurl insults at people who hold a different point of view, or publish personal attacks and views that incite conflicts,” Weibo said in a statement.

Any kind of move that is destructive to the [Weibo] community would be handled in a serious manner”, BBC reported.

Since China abandoned key parts of zero-Covid following historic protests against the policy, there have been reports of hospitals and crematoriums being overwhelmed.

But China has stopped publishing daily cases data and has announced only 22 Covid deaths since December using its own strict criteria.

On Saturday, China marked the first day of the 40-day period of Lunar New Year, known as the world’s largest annual migration of people.

The Ministry of Transport said it expects more than two billion passengers to travel over the next 40 days, an increase of 99.5 per cent year-on-year and reaching 70 per cent of trip numbers in 2019, The BBC reported.

This has led to widespread concerns that the festival may see another wave of infections, especially in rural areas that are less well-equipped with ICU beds and ventilators.

From Sunday, China dropped a requirement for travellers coming from abroad to quarantine, meaning many Chinese will be able to travel abroad for the first time in almost three years, The BBC reported.

ALSO READ: ‘China’s Xinjiang policy doesn’t allow anyone to cross borders’

Previous Story

Covid surge fear looms as China reopens borders

Next Story

Indian buses came as a relief to Lanka’s jam-packed public transport

Latest from -Top News

Taipei Gets Tough on Beijing

The new move marks one of the most comprehensive efforts in recent years to strengthen Taiwan’s legal defences against Beijing’s covert attempts…reports Asian Lite News Taiwanese lawmakers from both the ruling and

Pakistan Warns Afghanistan War

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that Islamabad could enter an “open war” with Kabul if peace talks in Istanbul fail to ease rising Afghan border tensions…reports Asian Lite News Pakistan’s Defence

UN Signs Landmark Cybercrime Treaty

Malaysia’s foreign minister warned ASEAN is losing neutrality amid rising global power competition, ahead of the bloc’s annual summit….reports Asian Lite News Sixty-five nations have signed a landmark United Nations convention in

Malaysia Warns ASEAN Neutrality Eroding

Malaysia’s foreign minister warned ASEAN is losing neutrality amid rising global power competition, ahead of the bloc’s annual summit….reports Asian Lite News  Malaysia’s foreign minister has warned Southeast Asian counterparts that the
Go toTop

Don't Miss

China condemns terror attack on convoy in Pakistan’s Gwadar

The convoy of vehicles belonging to Chinese engineers and Pakistani

Jaishankar slams China, Pakistan

“On the challenge of terrorism, even as the world is