A worker in protective gear stands guard near caution tape placed in a locked down neighborhood in Beijing, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. Chinese universities are sending students home as the ruling Communist Party tightens anti-virus controls and tries to prevent more protests after crowds angered by its severe "zero COVID" restrictions called for President Xi Jinping to resign in the biggest show of public dissent in decades. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
APTOPIX Virus Outbreak China
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese universities are sending students home and police are fanning out in Beijing and Shanghai to prevent more protests. That comes after crowds angered by severe anti-virus restrictions called for leader Xi Jinping to resign in the biggest show of public dissent in decades. Authorities have eased some controls after demonstrations in at least eight mainland cities and Hong Kong. But they showed no sign of backing off their larger “zero-COVID” strategy that has confined millions of people to their homes for months at a time. Security forces have detained an unknown number of people and stepped up surveillance. With police out in force, there was no word of protests Tuesday in Beijing, Shanghai or other major mainland cities. A small group gathered at a university in Hong Kong.
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