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Residents get swabbed during mass COVID-19 testing in the Chaoyang district in Beijing, Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Photo : AP
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- The New Oriental Country Bank of Kaifeng, Zhecheng Huanghuai Community Bank, Shangcai Huimin County Bank, and Yuzhou Xin Min Sheng Village Bank froze their customers’ deposits in April
- Customers have been travelling to Zhengzhou to retrieve their money since then
- A series of small protests broke out, culminating on 23rd May in a large demonstration, after which the police put an end to it
Several people claim that they have been forced to quarantine, or denied access to public transportation or buildings, said a BBC report.
The majority appear to be customers of four rural banks – New Oriental Country Bank of Kaifeng, Zhecheng Huanghuai Community Bank, Shangcai Huimin County Bank, and Yuzhou Xin Min Sheng Village Bank – that faced difficulties providing cash withdrawals, reported the Chinese media.
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The banks froze deposits in April, leading to angry protests last month.
A total of over 39 billion yuan ($6bn) is estimated to have been frozen, which has reportedly affected hundreds of thousands of customers.
A “health code” app is used by many Chinese residents to enter buildings and shops, use public transportation and leave the city. To gain entrance, users need to scan a QR code and display a colour-coded ‘health status’ on their phones.
If the status changes to red, it means a person has recently tested COVID-19 positive or is suspected to have COVID-19, and is required to be quarantined for 14 days.
When some residents attempted to enter train stations, hotels, or buildings on Tuesday, their status turned red.
The number of those affected is unknown, but reports from China indicate that the issue has been reported in several towns and villages in Henan.
An unnamed bank customer in Zhengzhou told BBC Chinese that her status was red despite never having come into contact with a confirmed case and that her recent tests had been negative.
She added that she was approached by health officials who told her to stay at home and refused to give her an explanation as to why her status suddenly turned red.
Chinese social media platforms have been abuzz with questions over the move, with many alleging that officials may have abused their power.
Hu Xijin, a popular Chinese commentator and former newspaper editor, said “health codes” should be used solely for the purpose of preventing pandemics.
“If any area uses health codes to restrict people’s movements for other purposes, this is clearly a breach of pandemic prevention laws… and damages the support of the people for our fight against the virus,” he said.
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