It is astonishing for many to watch what is happening in Shanghai, a metropolis of 25 million, at a time when most countries in the world are trying to put Covid-19 behind them. It seems that Chinese authorities are determined to view Omicron as deadly as previous variants, even though the medical data – including China’s own official data – says otherwise.

Towns and cities across China are rushing to impose strict travel restrictions and lockdowns as soon as new infections are reported, fragmenting the country. In one extreme case in the Nanhe district of Xingtai, an area with 3 million residents, local authorities imposed a lockdown as a “drill” when there were actually no infections.