A man originally from this province now living in Xi’An, China, says the country is being hit badly in a number of cities during the latest wave of the Omicron sub-variant of COVID-19.

Chris Walsh has been in Xi’An for the last few years with his wife and young family. He says while the situation in his city has returned to some kind of normal following a “really bad lockdown” late last year, much of the country is currently dealing with soaring case numbers all at the same time.

He says China’s zero-COVID policy has made life increasingly difficult.

Walsh says he was on the fourth floor of a local mall when officials determined somebody on the first floor had the virus. He says because he was in the building, he had to quarantine for a week. Ultimately, schools and businesses closed as lockdown measures were implemented. Walsh guesses that he hasn’t received a full paycheque since November of last year.

He says Chinese officials are trying to hold onto strict measures, but he isn’t sure how much longer they can stay in place. Walsh says the constant cycle of easing of restrictions to full-scale lockdowns has become incredibly frustrating not just for his family, but the locals as well.

He says for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, locals are openly discussing the fatigue the situation is placing on them.