Hundreds of Chinese in the Southern City Shenzhen protested against a coronavirus lockdown imposed by the authorities. A video of the city in the south Guangdong The county showed outraged residents confronting police officers wearing blue medical protective clothing, including jackets, face masks and plastic visors.
Protesters in the crowd chanted ‘lift the lockdown’ as they verbally and physically clashed with police who tried to enforce them with metal barriers.
Some people in the crowd threw water bottles at the police who made a number of arrests.
In one clip, a woman can be heard yelling “police beating people,” it has been reported.
Officers also held up a banner that read “Please cooperate as police enforce the law”.
The protests took place after local health officials imposed what they called “control measures” in the Shawei waterfront on Monday.
They argued there were anomalies in the massive Covid testing that has been a regular part of Chinese life since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic.
Similar but smaller protests also took place in the city’s Xinzhou and Huaqiangbei districts.
The “control measures” include banning anyone from leaving Shawei district.
READ MORE: Ukraine now on the brink of breaking through Luhansk after votes backfire
Millions of Chinese citizens must undergo regular Covid testing with the possibility of quarantines and sudden shutdowns if someone tests positive.
These restrictions have become more common with the advent of the more contagious Omicron variant.
While the measures appeared to be popular in the early stages of the pandemic, the public’s patience seems to be running out.
In Shenzhen, the measures were introduced after the discovery of 78 active Covid cases in the city of 18 million people.
During the upcoming week-long national holiday, Beijing residents are discouraged from leaving the city.
Those traveling to the Chinese capital must show a negative PCR test result within 48 hours and then undergo two additional tests within three days of arrival.