China’s Deadly Quarantine Bus Crash Stokes Covid Zero Anger

A bus crash that killed more than two dozen people on their way to be isolated in the southwest has sparked a wave of criticism of the strict Covid Zero policy that has left the country isolated.

A local official apologized for the deaths of 27 people and injuries to 20 others when a bus carrying them to Covid isolation facilities overturned early Sunday morning. While the deputy mayor of the capital vowed to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable, the incident quickly became a lightning rod for the government's zero-tolerance virus approach.

A bus accident in China has left dozens of people dead.

The apology had more than one billion views on Weibo. Many users were concerned about how easy it would be for them to be in a similar situation, with all confirmed cases and their close contacts still required to be in China. The apology wasn't enough and officials should change some of China's toughest virus restrictions

Some users questioned if the bus driver dressed in full PPE made driving more difficult. The rule that restricts long-distance bus travel in the early morning hours was violated by the crash's time. According to Initium News, passengers were being taken away in order to reduce the number of un-quarantined cases.

Growing public anxiety around China's Covid Zero rules is a challenge for President Xi Jinping, who is expected to get a third term as leader at the Communist Party congress in October. Beijing views the tough virus restrictions as a key to avoiding Covid death tolls in other parts of the world, because they have been made a cornerstone of his leadership.

Andy Chen, a senior analyst with Beijing-based Trivium China, said that this is the type of incident the leadership wants to avoid. People who oppose the ongoing Covid-control policies will try to play up and point to to demand changes.

Since the start of the Pandemic, there have been just two Covid deaths. According to the National Health Commission, the province had over 300 infections on Sunday. There were over 800 Covid cases in China.

China lifted a two week lockdown in the city.

The lifting of a two-week lockdown of the southwestern megacity of Chengdu is at risk of being overshadowed by the crash.

Hu Xijin is a former editor of the Communist Party's Global Times and an influential commentator in China. Hu wrote that we can't take the risk to transit people in the middle of the night due to the epidemic.

Linda Lew and Colum Murphy assisted.