China's Covid-29 cases hit record high as people hold anti-lockdown protests across country
In Beijing, people from several compounds, under lockdowns for days, also staged protests, leading to officials withdrawing the curbs.
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FollowPublic protests opposing China's stringent Covid lockdowns intensified in the country, while the cases of novel coronavirus continue to rise sharply with close to 40,000 infections reported on Sunday (November 27).
Many were seen sharing videos of the public protests on social media, including a mass demonstration in Shanghai where people in a rare display of anger shouted slogans against the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and President Xi Jinping.
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According to reports, many protesters were reportedly being arrested. There are also videos of protests from various university campuses where students came out in the open to oppose the lockdowns.
On Saturday, the government stepped back from enforcing lockdowns in Urumqi, the provincial capital of Xinjiang, where 10 people were killed and nine others injured on Thursday in a fire at an apartment block which was under Covid lockdown.
During the weekend, Urumqi witnessed a huge demonstration in which many Han Chinese nationals took part along with Uygur Muslims. Urumqi authorities on Saturday said the city would lift coronavirus restrictions "in phases" after footage surfaced online showing rare protests against a three-month lockdown, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Sunday.
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The footage of protests showed hundreds of residents in a public square outside a government office, chanting slogans "serve the people" and "end the lockdown", and singing the national anthem. Other clips showed scuffles between residents and people in hazmat suits in the street.
In Beijing, people from several compounds, under lockdowns for days, also staged protests, leading to officials withdrawing the curbs.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the National Health Commission said 39,501 coronavirus cases, including 35,858 asymptomatic cases, were reported in the country by the end of Saturday as mass Covid tests were carried out across China to identify new clusters of infection.
(With inputs from PTI)
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