Part 3/6:
Behind the scenes, many believe that China’s relentless zero COVID policy was driven by political motives. Locking down entire cities served as a demonstration of strength and control, meant to showcase the superiority of the Chinese system over what Beijing characterized as the chaos of Western liberal democracies. This approach was less about science and more about reinforcing the image of a government capable of absolute control over its population in the name of stability.
The Breakthrough of Omicron and the Collapse of Zero COVID
Yet, nature had other plans. The Omicron variant, highly contagious and difficult to contain, eventually breached these strict measures. The virus proved resilient enough to challenge the zero COVID approach, shattering the illusion of invincibility.