Opinion | End of 2022 marks time for China to end its ‘zero-Covid’ roller coaster
- The past year saw wild swings in China’s experience with Covid-19, with periods of strict lockdown interspersed with stretches of relative normality
- After public anger boiled over and the government suddenly changed course, though, it’s high time to draw this traumatic period to a close
“You’re going back to Europe?” “Are you insane? You’ll catch Covid there!” “Stay in China, seriously, it’s safer here!”
As soon as my relatives and friends heard of my trip, they all reacted as if I was about to jump into a boiling pot of viruses. On the contrary, after a month without masks or tests, I’m still safe and sound while the same people who warned me all ended up with Covid-19, no one spared.
As someone who spends most of her time reading and writing in the studio, I initially thought even a longer lockdown wasn’t a big deal. I soon learned there was a huge difference between not wanting to go out and not being allowed to go out. After a month of blindly following orders, testing negative repeatedly and refraining even from going downstairs for a walk, I took part in acts of civil disobedience.
I started by refusing to go downstairs for Covid tests, then sneaked out of the building at 6am to take a walk and steal the cherries from our compound. I made jam, which I then offered to neighbours I secretly invited for lunch, blatantly ignoring contact-avoidance rules.
