Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping defended China’s strict COVID zero policy at a Beijing Winter Olympics Commendation Ceremony recently. The experience of the Winter Olympics shows that China’s pandemic control policy has once again stood the test and deserved a gold medal, Xi said at the ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 8. Xi said his speech amid a COVID-19 outbreak in China and mass complaints about indefinite lockdowns in major cities. Shanghai and other places have been under lockdown for several days due to the severe COVID-19 outbreak. The extreme measures under the “COVID zero” policy have caused crises in shutdown cities with people struggling for food while both COVID patients and people suffering from other illnesses have been unable to access medical care. According to official announcements, most of the infected cases in mainland China are due to the Omicron variant with …