2022.11.26 15:25
Xinjiang-lockdown, fire, protests and more
Budrigannews.com – Following claims that strict pandemic restrictions increased the number of fire deaths, Chinese officials in the capital of the western Xinjiang province attempted to quell public outrage.
Urumqi city officials apologized to the public and offered their condolences to the fire victims at a press briefing late on Friday. Online claims that residents were unable to evacuate due to Covid control measures were refuted by officials.
People allegedly demonstrated on the street in Urumqi, according to videos that were circulating on Chinese social media. A video that was shared on Twitter showed protesters chanting “end the lockdown!” in front of what appeared to be a city government building. Different clasps showed the dissenters being come by police.
There were sporadic demonstrations in other major Chinese cities, suggesting that public outrage was spreading beyond Xinjiang. Social media images and videos showed people calling for the lockdowns to be lifted on Wulumuqi Middle Road, a street named after Urumqi in central Shanghai. In yet another video, students at Nanjing’s Communication University were seen demonstrating.
The blast, what broke out in an elevated structure on Thursday night, required almost three hours to quench and left something like 10 dead, as per Xinhua News Office. People questioned whether Covid restrictions delayed rescue efforts and prevented access into and out of the building during the subsequent public outcry on Chinese social media.
Some people shared videos that seemed to show fire trucks struggling to get close to the building and spraying water from a distance due to ground barriers.
Beginning checks found no instances of floors being secured in the compound, nor barricades excepting the structure’s unit entryways and occupant entryways at the hour of the fire, the public authority said before.
The head of the city’s fire rescue team said that some residents didn’t have enough “awareness of self protection and self rescue.” He also said that people in the building didn’t do enough to put out the fire and get out of the building in time to be safe. Some social media posts are being blocked by local police.
Urumqi police issued a statement on Friday saying that a 24-year-old woman faces 10 days in jail for spreading false information on social media about the fire’s death toll. The statement also said that residents should avoid online rumors and keep “a benign pandemic control order.”
According to official statistics, Xinjiang, which has been under lockdown since the beginning of August, reported 967 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday. That is out of a national record of 34,202 new infections.
At a press conference on Saturday, local officials claimed victory over Covid and stated that there were no infections outside of quarantine areas. They promised to gradually restore normalcy and to ease lockdowns in high-risk areas after five days without new cases.
Sui Rong, a government spokesman, stated that authorities will adhere to a rule requiring no contact with outsiders, including delivery staff, and encouraged residents of low-risk areas to take turns going downstairs for a walk.
