But China's inability to bring its latest outbreak under control so far has prompted online rumblings from frustrated citizens, as questions about Beijing's zero-Covid strategy break into the mainstream for the first time. In the tech hub of Shenzhen on Sunday, videos shared online showed residents protesting in a locked-down district, after restrictions lasted for several days longer than scheduled, according to social media posts.
"You can't do this -- we need to eat and pay the rent," a man among a crowd of protesters is heard yelling in anguish at health care workers, who stood behind high plastic barriers, according to a video shared online. "Unlock! We demand lifting the lockdown!" others shouted in a second clip.