COVID LOCKDOWN: Chinese Forbidden to Flee for Safety During Life-Threatening Earthquake but Expected To Go Out for PCR Tests

On September 5th at 12:52, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake occurred in Luding County, Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan. The epicenter of the earthquake was 29.59 degrees north latitude and longitude was 102.08 degrees east with a depth of 16km. A strong tremor was also experienced in Chengdu, according to local media.

At the time of the earthquake, Covid lockdowns were in place in many parts of Sichuan, including the city of Chengdu. However, at the time of the earthquake, residents were asked to remain in their homes and were not allowed to go outside. Many residents have asked for permission to evacuate from their buildings into open areas during the lockdown. But they were not allowed to do so and were confronted by “epidemic prevention and control” officers and some were beaten for trying to “run away to safety from the earthquake”.

An online video shows people asking these officers to let them escape from the building to an open area for safety, to which the officers responded by saying “Has the building fallen down yet?”

There are also videos showing residents being stopped by officers in hazmat suits as they fled to the ground floor and tried to leave the building. In many buildings, the main entrances were locked and people were trapped inside, unable to escape during the life-threatening earthquake period. Some inside the building kicked the main doors to vent their anger while others outside tried to help open the doors by force.

A Chinese netizen posted a conversation on WeChat, alleging that they were not allowed to run downstairs in the quarantine hotel and that they would be arrested and their number of days in quarantine reset as soon as they stepped out of their room.