China has put more than half a billion people under partial or total lockdown in what it is calling an all-out “people’s war” against the spread of the new coronavirus. It’s equivalent to restricting the movement of the entire population of North America.
To enforce sweeping quarantine measures over vast areas of the country, China has turned to a medley of low- and high-tech measures. Citizens are also financially rewarded for reporting those who fail to follow quarantine orders. These methods reflect a decades-long history of social control now being mobilized on an unprecedented scale.
