Vice Premier Sun Chunlan leads a tour of Wuhan on Thursday to survey local conditions
Jeers from nearby buildings that greeted a top Beijing official visiting Wuhan are shining a spotlight on the frustration that many local residents feel living under lockdown in the embattled city at the center of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The incident that made rounds on Chinese social media occurred when Vice Premier Sun Chunlan led a group of government officials to Wuhan’s Qingshan District on Thursday to survey local conditions, including how various communities were coping with the situation. All major transport links to the city have been cut since late January, and many residents are currently not allowed to leave their building compounds as part of Wuhan’s efforts to bring the outbreak under control.
In videos of the incident posted online, taken from upper floors of some of the surrounding apartment buildings, the official group can be seen walking through a tree-landscaped area to the sound of jeers coming from other buildings. One can be clearly heard yelling out, “Fake, it’s all fake!”
In typical fashion, official broadcaster CCTV covered the event in its evening news broadcast, spotlighting difficulties everyday people were facing and how Sun had urged provincial and city officials to take care of problems and not avoid difficult issues. She called on them to put an end to “formalism” and bureaucracy, and encouraged them to work in a practical way, seek the truth and sincerely work to solve problems to raise satisfaction among local citizenry.
Community workers and volunteers wearing face masks sort and pack groceries from a supermarket purchased through group orders after supermarkets stop selling to individuals, in Wuhan
"During the outbreak, property management companies haven’t taken disinfecting work seriously. When central leaders come, (local officials) make a special effort” to show them how everyone is working for the benefit of local residents, one resident said. “But the reality is that food delivery is often inadequate. Look at how quickly they’ve worked now to put on a show.”
A number of residents said a wide range of problems since the outbreak began, including failure by their buildings and local authorities to make timely reports of new infections. They also complained of poor property management since their complex was sealed off, and said disinfection of elevators was inadequate. They also pointed out that 10 yuan ($1.44) food vouchers given as part of the relief effort were distributed via an online chat group for the community, even though some residents had been kicked out of the group previously.
Community workers and volunteers wearing face masks sort and pack groceries from a supermarket purchased through group orders after supermarkets stop selling to individuals, in Wuhan
