Faced with the population tired of the “zero Covid” health strategy, several cities have announced the end of large-scale PCR tests or quarantine for infected people.
Following the protests, authorities increased police presence and social media monitoring to quell the movement. But videos published on Tuesday and geolocated by AFP show a crowd of students from Nanking University of Technology demonstrating at night in order to be able to leave the campus.
A third-year student, wishing to remain anonymous, said the protest came after the school announced that the campus would be locked down for five days following the discovery of a positive case.
Many Chinese universities are still in lockdown. Their students must apply to leave and visitors are prohibited.
Several student revolts across the country
“If you touch us, it will become a new Foxconn here! shouts a young man in reference to the violent demonstrations of workers last month in the Chinese factory of the Taiwanese giant, which manufactures iPhones for Apple.
During the rallies at the end of November, the demonstrators, mostly young, demanded the lifting of the restrictions which have affected their lives since 2020.
Hundreds or even thousands of students have since demonstrated on their campuses, from Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University to establishments in Wuhan, Xi’an and Guangzhou.
In parallel with the repressive component, the authorities are easing certain restrictions. Beijing announced on Tuesday that parks, office buildings and businesses, including supermarkets, will no longer require the presentation of a negative PCR test. Large companies are now allowed to set their own testing requirements.