Dozens of hearses lined up outside a Beijing crematorium on Wednesday, even as China reported no new COVID-19-related deaths, prompting criticism over how victims of the virus are counted, as the capital prepares to a surge in serious cases.
Following widespread protests in November, China has begun to ease its so-called “zero COVID” policy. This had made it possible to contain the virus for three years, at the cost of a significant economic and psychological impact.
The abrupt policy change has caught the country’s fragile health system off guard, and experts estimate that China could face more than a million deaths from COVID-19 next year.
At a crematorium in Beijing’s Tongzhou district on Wednesday, a Reuters witness saw a line of about 40 hearses, while the plant’s parking lot was full.
Inside, families and friends, many of whom wore white robes and sashes as per funeral tradition, were gathered around about 20 coffins awaiting cremation.
Strong police presence
The personnel wore protective suits. Smoke rose from five of the 15 furnaces. There was a heavy police presence outside the crematorium.
Reuters could not verify whether the deaths were related to COVID-19. China reported no new deaths on Tuesday and even subtracted one from the total figure since the start of the pandemic, which now stands at 5,241, a fraction of what countries with far fewer populations have seen.
The National Health Commission said on Tuesday that only people who died of pneumonia or respiratory failure after contracting the virus are classified as COVID-19-related deaths.
China reported 53 additional severe cases for Tuesday, up from 23 the day before.
Employees of the Communist Party and government institutions or enterprises in the southwestern city of Chongqing who have mild symptoms of COVID-19 can go to work if they wear a mask, according to the “State China Daily” newspaper. Other Chinese media reported similar measures in several cities.
