Will Beijing’s COVID-19 lockdown measures return to China? Driving the concerns is the re-emergence of one of the symbols of Beijing’s pandemic policy: workers clad in hazmat suits. A video clip circulating online shows them disinfecting school hallways and classrooms. The caption says it was captured in Hebei province in late November.
These workers are known as “big white” in China. Under Beijing’s zero-COVID policy, reports revealed that they broke into people’s homes by force. Some clips show workers spraying homeowners’ bedrooms, valuables, and even fridges with disinfectant.
Screenshots of video clips show the “big white” disinfecting schools nationwide. In one video, a worker in hazmat suits sanitizes rooms in a middle school in Shandong province.
Over in Southern Anhui province, a worker was seen sterilizing a school cafeteria and in central Henan province, another worker sprayed down classrooms.
In Heilongjiang province, another worker disinfected a school’s hallway.
The cleaning efforts come as China’s pneumonia outbreak gets worse and strains the nation’s pediatric hospitals.
The info comes from a notice from China’s top health body: the National Health Commission. The agency is asking medical institutions nationwide to “try everything they can” to provide pediatric services. Authorities are also ordering the institutions not to turn away patients. NTD spoke to a few Chinese residents and doctors about the situation. We distorted their voices to protect their identities.