What is happening China demonstrates the societal perils of possibly the most extreme COVID-19 #EmergencyState worldwide - with no obvious end point and hugely intrusive restrictions, quarantine and surveillance.
As I describe in my book, China's lockdowns were the model for the rest of the world, praised in the first months of the pandemic by e.g. the WHO and even the Pope. Though in fact they tended to be more extreme, reflecting the authoritarian nature of the Chinese govt. 
China has used e.g. mass surveillance, enforced quarantine of individuals in camps, extreme enforcement. But the policy has been so successful in suppressing the virus that the govt (by its own logic) is now stuck in a perpetual state of ongoing restrictions.
If it relaxes restrictions it faces a potentially catastrophic number of cases and deaths, with most unprotected by previous infection or vaccination. But even in authoritarian society it cannot continue enforcing the Emergency State indefinitely as can be seen from protests.
As I say in#EmergencyState, not all lockdowns are the same and indeed neither are all Emergency States. It is better to compare particular restrictions and - most importantly - enforcement. Enforcement in an authoritarian state is very different.
In every COVID society governments had to balance liberty and safety. After a couple of years, most societies have decided that COVID is no longer enough of a threat to justify asking people to "lend" their liberty. China is different and next few months will be hugely important.
More in #EmergencyState - I do hope to update it at some point soon to include more international comparisons and China is a hugely important one. amazon.co.uk/dp/1847927467/…
There is also an irony in China's situation - China managed to do what no other society did, though many tried - it has suppressed COVID. Nowhere else managed this, restrictions+lockdowns etc. only ever managed to slow its spread and give time for vaccines to be developed...
China is now facing the consequences of its "success". Though, I would argue that in places like the UK we never really expected to suppress COVID because as harsh as restrictions were they were nothing like in China (nor could they have been). Ultimately, though...
... the PM and Patrick Vallance were criticised for referring to herd immunity as a policy option in actual fact that was a shadow policy all along, because there was no prospect of suppressing COVID and partially maintaining freedoms (quote from #EmergencyState)
And in fact we now live in a society where practically everyone has had COVID, many more than once, though 200k+ have also died. China is still where we were in eg. mid-2020. So it is now faced with perpetual extreme restrictions or some other choice.
Yes absolutely - the govt seemed to think that it was restrictions or nothing (to be a bit simplistic but that was certainly the public debate)
https://twitter.com/wendyg/status/1597275939553300482?s=20&t=CgugDgydGRqbiXv_T2e3Pw
I stand corrected - a significant majority
https://twitter.com/benjh65/status/1597276928511078400?s=20&t=K4HQtQ0qE4s6a-rj3Iyw2w
Not ignoring at all - a huge detrimental impact on many people (including many I know personally). A serious cost to the UK
https://twitter.com/neiljeffares/status/1597276782390300672?s=20&t=K4HQtQ0qE4s6a-rj3Iyw2w
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