China bans social media accounts of 1,120 Covid critics: ‘Will continue to…’

Covid In China: China abruptly abandoned its stringent ‘zero-Covid’ policy which included harsh lockdowns, quarantine measures and mass testing.

China suspended or closed social media accounts of more than 1,000 critics of the government's Covid policies, as the country moves to further open up after almost three years, Associated Press reported. China's popular Sina Weibo social media platform said that it had addressed 12,854 violations and issued temporary or permanent bans on 1,120 accounts, the report said.

Covid In China: Security guards wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the Covid-19 pandemic sit at an entrance of a building in Beijing. (AFP)

China abruptly abandoned its stringent ‘zero-Covid’ policy which included harsh lockdowns, quarantine measures and mass testing. Following the change in rules, China witnessed a surge in infections that have stretched medical resources to their limits.

The company “will continue to increase the investigation and cleanup of all kinds of illegal content, and create a harmonious and friendly community environment for the majority of users," Sina Weibo said in a statement. This comes as China is planning to end mandatory quarantines for people arriving from abroad. Beijing may also drop a requirement for students at city schools to have a negative Covid test to enter campus.

The World Health Organisation has expressed concern about the lack of data from China, while many countries are requiring a negative test result for travelers from China within 48 hours of departure.

China’s total confirmed death toll from Covid rose to 17,500 amid concerns that the numbers are underreported after the government adopted a much narrower definition for deaths from the virus. China reported 854 new severe cases on Friday.