Promise Odejide
Chinese government has cautioned its citizens agitating against COVID-19 guidelines.
The deadly virus has spread to some of its major cities during the weekend.
It is uncertain whether the protest will last beyond Monday. The Chinese government had detained several citizens in Shanghai earlier at a site that saw protests on two consecutive nights and police erected barriers.
Mammoth crowds stormed the streets in Beijing, Shanghai and other places at the weekend to protest against China’s zero-COVID policy which has led to mass testing and lockdowns.
The continued COVID-19 protests have become a source of worry to the Chinese President Xi Jinping, with some calling for his resignation.
The BBC bemoaned the maltreatment of one of its journalists by police while covering the protests.
Protests against restrictions in the country worsened following a fire outbreak which left 10 people dead in their private residence in Urumqi.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Shanghai to remember the victims and demonstrate against restrictions. Many were heard calling for President Xi Jinping to resign. The lockdown of blocks of flats has been blamed for deaths in the fire.
While Chinese government denied the lockdown led to their death, officials in Urumqi issued an apology late on Friday, and promised to “restore order” by softening restrictions.
