China Covid: Quarantine bus crash kills 27 and injures 20

A bus carrying people to a Covid-19 quarantine facility in China has crashed, killing 27 of those on board.

The coach overturned on a motorway in the southwestern province of Guizhou. Another 20 people were injured. The accident sparked anger online from those critical of Beijing’s “zero-Covid” policy. The policy involves mass testing and tracking. Those who test positive and their close contacts have to isolate at home or in a quarantine facility.

Just a handful of cases can spark a city-wide lockdown. There is no word on the cause of the crash, which occurred early on Sunday morning.

“All of us are on that bus”, read one popular comment posted on the social media app, WeChat.

Another comment asked, “When will all of this stop?” While the rest of the world is trying to live with Covid, China is the only major economy still prioritizing the fight against the virus above almost everything else. Guizhou is currently experiencing a spike in infections. The province recorded 712 new cases on Saturday – about 70% of the total for China. The incident comes in the run-up to the Communist Party’s five-yearly congress in October. Covid policy is expected to be discussed.

Beijing’s more than 21 million residents are required to queue for PCR tests every three days to access public buildings and even corner shops.