Books on Xi Jinping at the Chinese Party Congress Press Center▶ Click here for a larger view
“In a situation where countries around the world take off their masks and return to their daily lives, isn’t it too much to quarantine even though the PCR test is negative?”
A foreign correspondent who met at the press center of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on the 15th expressed his dissatisfaction with China’s super-strong quarantine policy as follows:
Then another foreign correspondent next door joked, “If you want to live and report in China, you have to be familiar with PCR tests, and you shouldn’t be afraid of quarantine.”
He mentioned that he had been quarantined for more than a week for more than 10 times, referring to the Wuhan Corona 19 incident, two meetings (National People’s Congress and National People’s Political Consultative Conference), and the launch of a manned spacecraft.
At the opening ceremony of the party congress to decide China’s next leadership (June 16), we received permission to cover the world’s major media outlets such as Archyde.com, AP, AFP, and Bloomberg, but the reason I was both happy and worried was because of China’s ultra-strong quarantine policy.
China Party Congress Press Center Briefing Room Entrance ▶ Click here for a larger view
After Corona 19, China has reduced the number of foreign reporters for various events to the representative media of each country and has adopted a method of isolating reporters for at least 1 night and 2 days before and following the event and at least a week.
Fortunately, the Chinese authorities applied a ‘closed-loop’ method, which is somewhat more relaxed than quarantine, for the opening ceremony of the party congress.
The closed loop is the quarantine policy adopted during the Beijing Winter Olympics in February.
During the party congress, reporters are gathered at the press center and covered by video conferencing, and for outside coverage such as the opening ceremony, the minimum number of people is moved in a dedicated vehicle to block contact with the outside.
The goal is to prevent the spread of Corona 19 by making the press center a closed area isolated from the outside society as if a bubble was covered.
You can move freely inside the hotel, but you can’t go outside the front door of the hotel.
Authorities have also placed public security at the entrance of the hotel as well as every 10m around the hotel in case of an emergency.
China Party Congress Press Center Security Check▶ Click here for a larger view
At the party congress, which will determine President Xi Jinping’s third consecutive term, measures close to tuberculosis were understood as they had to show off their quarantine achievements to their own people, but the policy that went once morest the global trend of recovery from daily life came out with a sigh.
I entered the press center only following showing two ID checks the followingnoon of the previous day and a negative PCR test result the day before, and undergoing additional PCR tests and security checks that surpassed the airport checkpoint.
The first thing that caught my eye was the appearance of Chinese reporters broadcasting or taking a commemorative photo in front of a large sign written in white on a red background that reads ‘The 20th Party Congress Press Center of the Chinese Communist Party’.
They each had an expression full of pride that they might cover a historical moment.
The inside of the press center was filled with various photos and videos praising Xi’s achievements as if it was a known fact that the party congress was to confirm Xi’s third consecutive term.
In particular, on the 2nd and 3rd floors, where the briefing room and press room are located, a collection of President Xi’s speeches published in English, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish, ‘What is China’s Dream’ and ‘One Belt, One Road’ with the Chinese Communist Party are displayed. The books were full.
There was a notice saying that the books were distributed free of charge to reporters, but not many people took them.
Chinese reporters broadcasting from the press center of the Chinese party congress▶ Click here for a larger view
A press center official approached the reporter and recommended a few books, boasting that both accommodation and food were free, and coffee and refreshments were prepared.
When asked if he would have to pay such a large cost if free coverage was allowed, he replied, “The COVID-19 is a serious situation,” and “China’s scientific quarantine is superior to Western quarantine policies.”
Many of the reporter’s acquaintances in Korea said that he recovered following a few days of being infected with Corona 19 and was leading a normal life, but he showed an expression of disbelief.
At the press conference of the party congress scheduled for the followingnoon of the 15th, China is expected to emphasize the need for a strong quarantine policy by emphasizing the ‘zero corona’ policy called ‘dongtai qingling’.
About 40 foreign reporters, including Yonhap News, who received permission to cover the opening ceremony of the party congress, will stay overnight in a closed loop due to the authorities’ insistence on the zero-corona policy, and then move to the Great Hall of the People, where the opening ceremony will be held on the morning of the 16th.
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