the country is suffocating in the heat, in the midst of a zero Covid policy

The crowd is compact for hundreds of meters. The wait turns out to be suffocating, under surgical masks. Under a blazing sun, thick smoke from forest fires can be seen in the sky. China has never been so hot. In front of barnums, endless queues in the streets of a city. The images stem from the zero Covid policy. Only 40 infections were recorded on Wednesday August 24, but 10 million inhabitants had to be tested.

Many Chinese wave their fans for air. Otherwise, others get up before the sun in order to wait in the cool. During the day, the thermometer reached 42°C. “When you color tap water, it looks as hot as if it had boiled.”reports a woman. The river Yangtzethe largest reservoir of drinking water in the country, has dried up. Dams are idle and electricity is rationed. Without air conditioner and fan, the inhabitants take refuge in the metro, underground.