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China's Covid zero policy could last for years as it works for Xi

It's 2025 in Beijing, five years since the start of the pandemic, and Chinese President Xi Jinping's Covid Zero policy is still an inescapable part of daily life

New testing booths ready to be deployed on the side of a road in Beijing. The holes have gloves inside them and prevent the tester from coming into contact with potentially infected people. (Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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New testing booths ready to be deployed on the side of a road in Beijing. The holes have gloves inside them and prevent the tester from coming into contact with potentially infected people. (Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Bloomberg
It’s 2025 in Beijing, five years since the start of the pandemic, and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Covid Zero policy is still an inescapable part of daily life.
 
Residents must get PCR tested every few days at one of the booths on nearly every street corner. A personalized health code app determines who can move around the capital, and where. Children have to test negative to go to the park. Something as simple as a visit to a coffee shop or supermarket can result in being locked down in your apartment, not even allowed out for food – which the