Chinese city suggests lockdowns for flu, faces criticism

A Chinese city has received negative feedback on social media after saying it might consider using lockdowns in the case of an influenza outbreak, CNN reported. Last week, the city of Xi'an, a popular tourist destination in Shaanxi province and the location of the world-famous terracotta warriors, unveiled an emergency response plan that would allow it to close down businesses, schools, and "other crowded locations" in the event of a serious flu outbreak. This led to a mixture of worry and rage among many social media users who claimed the plan uncomfortably resembled parts of the stringent zero-Covid policies Beijing had put in place throughout the pandemic and which have just lately been abandoned.