Fear of Quarantine Camps, Not Covid, Is Shutting Down Beijing
- Stores are fully stocked but residents fear in-person shopping
- People voluntarily stay home to reduce their risk of exposure
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There are serious ramifications to being exposed to Covid-19 in China -- and not just infection. As the country confronts its biggest outbreak ever, residents in major cities are hunkering down because of the prospect of being sent to a quarantine camp or locked down at home.
Going out in the capital of Beijing means having to scan a QR code to enter venues like shops and restaurants, or to even take public transportation. Under the country’s ubiquitous contract-tracing surveillance system, visiting the same places as someone who later turns up infected can land you in a government isolation facility, where conditions can be so poor that some people say they are buying chamber pots and portable tents in preparation.