China: millions of people wait in line for Covid testing in the sweltering heat

• In the midst of a record heat wave, the Chinese city of Chongqing has implemented widespread Covid testing in its center, forcing millions of its citizens to endure hours-long exposure to the sun.
• Authorities set the health codes on everyone’s mobile phones to orange to make sure inhabitants in the core districts follow the testing mandate.
• Only after they successfully pass the Covid tests will the codes turn green.

In the midst of a record heat wave, the Chinese city of Chongqing has implemented widespread Covid testing in its center, forcing millions of its citizens to endure hours-long exposure to the sun.

The southwestern megacity’s strict zero-Covid regulations to stop an outbreak are the latest burden for citizens already suffering from a devastating heat wave, a severe drought, and raging wildfires.

40 Covid-19 infections were reported in Chongqing on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases since mid-August to 146.

On Wednesday, as the hottest temperature in Chongqing rose beyond 40 degrees Celsius, authorities ordered more than 10 million residents of the city’s central metropolitan districts to undergo mandatory Covid testing (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Over 3,800 temporary testing locations were established throughout the core districts. Chinese social media posts show locals forming long lineups at the locations with some of them fainting from the heat.

One widely shared video depicts a roadway jam-packed with hundreds of individuals who appear to be waiting in line for Covid testing, the majority of whom are donning face masks and some of whom are fanning themselves to cool up. Wildfire smoke rises above the skyline in the background, which has a pale orange color.

On Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, a resident of Chongqing said, “It’s 43 degrees, and the people of Chongqing are already strained to the breaking point.”

Authorities set the health codes on everyone’s mobile phones to orange to make sure inhabitants in the core districts follow the testing mandate. Only after they successfully pass the Covid tests will the codes turn green.

In China, where freedom of movement is constrained by a color-code system enforced by the government to stop the virus’ spread, having a green code is a need for going about daily life.

According to authorities, those who have not been tested will not be permitted to attend events, meetings, or business operations or enter crowded, enclosed public spaces.

Zeng Meng, a 42-year-old native of Chongqing, claimed a notification on his health code app instructed him to take a Covid test sometime on Wednesday night.

It is reprehensible to make more than 10 million people complete Covid testing in such hot conditions, he remarked. “This is neither reasonable, scientific, nor legal.”

In the wee hours of Wednesday, Zeng claimed that people began lined up outside his residential compound to undergo tests, but he resisted. He claimed that on Thursday, a store turned him away due to an orange code on his health app.

“Excessive anti-Covid actions have put us through a lot of trouble. Several of my acquaintances dislike having to take Covid tests, “added he.

Also Read

Inside the website Flightradar24 tracks every aircraft in the sky

Over 200,000 planes take off and land worldwide each day on average....