HONG KONG—Residents of China’s west, frustrated by monthslong Covid-19 restrictions that failed to extinguish outbreaks, are increasingly taking to social media to air their grievances, marking a potentially embarrassing backdrop for the twice-a-decade party congress that will determine the careers of many local and national officials in less than five weeks’ time.
Authorities in Korla, a city in Xinjiang of fewer than half a million people, on Monday told residents that a full lockdown will be extended for seven days after a Covid infection was linked to a wholesale market on Saturday. The case emerged even though residents in Korla have been barred from leaving their homes since mid-August. The market resumed operations on Tuesday after being disinfected, according to an official WeChat account.