China has faced internal criticism for the removal of a viral video of stories from 2022 that had captivated the Chinese public. Many of the stories had highlighted the difficulties ordinary people faced as a result of the strict zero-Covid policy
China this month scrapped repeated mass testing, centralised quarantine for infected people, and lockdowns, the hallmarks of a policy aimed at eradicating all outbreaks of Covid-19.
Many of the stories included in the video, which can no longer be seen or shared on domestic social media platforms, had highlighted the difficulties ordinary Chinese faced as a result of the strict zero-Covid policy.One Weibo hashtag about the video garnered almost four million hits before it disappeared from platforms around midday local time.
"This virus should just go and die, can not believe this year I can not even find a healthy friend that can go out with me and celebrate the passage into the New Year", wrote one user based in eastern Shandong province.
The infections have prompted international concern, particularly regarding the possibility of a new, stronger variant emerging out of China.