After the infamous zero-COVID policy was dropped just under two weeks ago, it's anecdotally very clear that the virus has ripped through China's capital city.
At another crematorium a short drive away, about 20 vans acting as hearses stood in a line, waiting in turn to enter. There was tension in the air too.
Drivers told us the last few days have been busier than normal. They'd been waiting over three hours.Round the corner, families gathered to mourn and remember, many dressed in white scarfs traditional at Chinese funerals.We met one group who didn't want to be identified, but they did want to talk. They know COVID is killing people, it's the reason they were there."She was 73 years old. She actually did not have any other serious underlying diseases.
"People are not panicking, they just do not realise that Omicron can cause such serious consequences. We never thought that this virus would kill people so easily."There's clearly major sensitivity around what is happening here. We were interrupted by authorities nearly everywhere we filmed. At one site a man tried to grab our camera as we walked away.But there is real pressure on this system.
At one point, what appeared to be a dead body in a wheelchair was pushed out of one door and into another. It was covered only by a quilt.The reality is that China's hospitals are under-resourced. There are not enough intensive care beds and the population has low levels of immunity.Zero-COVID was dropped so abruptly many say China simply didn't give itself time to prepare.It just isn't clear how bad things are. It is clear they'll likely get worse.
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