China’s zero-Covid policy leaves poorer regions with little choice but ‘rigid and crude’ lockdowns

Into the third week of March, snowfall continues to coat the empty streets of Changchun, the capital city of northeastern Jilin province, glistening and mostly untouched by traffic.

Facing its most serious wave of coronavirus infections since the onset of the pandemic, the city of 9 million people has been in a full lockdown since Friday, forcing residents to self-quarantine at home.