Ahead of 20th National Party Congress in which Xi Jinping is set to secure a third term in power, the Chinese authorities have scaled up the restrictions locking down regions and cities and mandating quarantines, disrupting lives of people and drawing widespread public complaints.

With sudden Covid flare-ups ahead of the Chinese Communist Party meeting, the authorities are enforcing a “zero Covid” policy in an excessive manner on Chinese citizens to eliminate infections, despite the massive economic slump in the country, The New York Times reported.

Moreover, the residents of less-developed regions are bearing the brunt of strict covid lockdowns as food and medicine shortages have been common in such regions.

Liu Sushe, the vice chairman of the Xinjiang region, conceded this week that the area of 22 million people was facing its most difficult public health emergency ever, according to The New York Times.

Earlier on Tuesday, China’s Xinjiang province effectively banned residents and visitors from leaving, blocking all trains and buses from departing the region and stopping most flights.