The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says China’s zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy is not sustainable given what is now known about the virus
Key points:
- The WHO says increased knowledge and better tools to combat the virus suggest it is time for a change in China’s approach
- China’s zero-COVID policy has drawn criticism from scientists through to its own citizens
- Strict anti-virus measures have prompted a cycle of lockdowns in China
In rare public comments on a government’s handling of the pandemic, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing: “We don’t think that it is sustainable considering the behaviour of the virus and what we now anticipate in the future.”
“We have discussed this issue with Chinese experts and we indicated that the approach will not be sustainable … I think a shift would be very important.”
He said increased knowledge about the virus and better tools to combat it also suggested it was time for a change of strategy.
WHO says human rights must be considered
The comments follow China’s leaders restating their resolve to battle the virus with tough measures, and threatening action against critics at home even as strict and prolonged lockdowns exact a heavy toll on the world’s second-largest economy.
Speaking after Mr Tedros, WHO emergencies director Mike Ryan said the impact of the “zero-COVID” policy on human rights needed to be considered.
“We have always said as WHO that we need to balance the control measures against the impact they have on society, the impact they have on the economy, and that’s not always an easy calibration,” Mr Ryan said.
He noted, however, that China had registered 15,000 deaths since the virus first emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 — a relatively low number compared with nearly 1 million in the United States, more than 664,000 in Brazil and more than 524,000 in India.
With that in mind, it was understandable, Mr Ryan said, that the world’s most populous country would want to take tough measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Omicron testing China’s COVID approach
China’s zero-COVID policy has led to a cycle of lockdowns for many millions of people, causing anguish and anger.
And it has drawn criticism from people ranging from scientists to its own citizens.
Most other nations that initially shared its approach have now at least begun to transition toward strategies to live with the virus.
The continued outbreaks also underscore how difficult it is to stop the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Under the zero-COVID policy, authorities lock down large population areas to stamp out viral spread in response to any coronavirus outbreak, even if just a small number of people test positive.
Many are not even allowed out of their front doors to mingle with neighbours.
Its quarantine policy has also been criticised for separating children from parents and putting asymptomatic cases among those with symptoms.
Highlighting the far-reaching impact of prolonged lockdowns on global manufacturing and supplies of critical goods, General Electric’s GE.N healthcare unit outlined on Tuesday the drastic measures it had taken to deal with shortages of dye used for medical scans and tests in the United States caused by the suspension of its Shanghai factory.
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Reuters
