A semblance of social life is slowly resuming in China since the beginning of deconfinement. Parks, restaurants and schools have reopened in Beijing, which has been unconventional for several days. But the habits of Beijingers have changed. Between digital tracing and sanitary measures, China is gradually being altered by putting its inhabitants under close surveillance. 

REPORTAGE

In China, after three months of strict confinement, the return to normal life is done with a thousand precautions and under close surveillance. Beijing, the capital, has been deconfinite for a few days. Our correspondent on the spot told this new daily for millions of inhabitants, in the program Les carnets du monde on Europe 1. 

Widespread telework and health measures in schools 

The deconfinement is indeed still very relative to Beijing: officially, 90% of companies have been able to return to work but mainly from a distance. In fact, only half of the employees can go to the office. Essential measures to respect social distancing. 

As for schools, schools and universities have not yet reopened in the capital. Graduate students should normally return to class on Monday. But the ferry has been postponed by a month: it will take place on July 7 and 8. For the youngest, another organization is planned. Their return will be spread over several weeks. 

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Some schools outside of Beijing have already reopened. They are subject to binding hygiene rules. Each student works on a table and must wear a mask throughout the day. The teachers were also all tested and the premises disinfected before classes resumed. They are also thoroughly cleaned several times a day. During the meal, it is not always possible to go to the canteen because some are closed. In those that are open, you are asked to eat with your own chopsticks. 

Streets and shops under surveillance

Not only is the return to normal life not yet topical in schools and at work, but outside, in the streets, the deconfinement is also progressive. Admittedly, it is possible to find friends in restaurants and cafes, but in Beijing, almost half of them closed and many went bankrupt. For establishments that survived the Covid-19 crisis, new rules are in effect. 

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This is the case in Yan Zhi's cafe, located in Beijing. This owner was forced to close her business for three months. "At first, when I had to close my cafe, I was so stressed that I couldn't sleep anymore," she recalls.

"Now it's better, the epidemic is under control in China so we have been allowed to open again. People can come to our house for a drink," said Yan Zhi, who must now get used to it. to new realities. "We have to take the temperature of all our customers. They have to register themselves and leave their phone numbers and ID card. They also have to put on a mask and wash their hands and then we disinfect when they go away, "says the owner. 

QR codes like "certificates of good health" 

If parks and shopping centers have reopened, social life remains limited. Pekingese do not have the right to have their home delivered or to welcome relatives to their home. As soon as they leave their accommodation, they must provide passes to the authorities and are subjected to temperature tests. As part of these checks, residents are also asked to present their mobile phone.

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Authorities are scanning electronic codes called QR codes. They make it possible to verify that the holder of the smartphone has not left Beijing for at least 14 days. If the signal is green, it is possible to continue driving. However, if it is red, it is forbidden to enter a public place. 

"Everywhere we go, we have to register and scan our QR code. It's like a certificate of good health on our mobile phones," said a woman met in Yan Zhi's cafe. "When I leave my house, I need a pass. Everywhere I go, I have to register to verify that I have not left Beijing and that I am not supposed to be in quarantine" , she specifies, describing this scenario as "reassuring". "If someone is sick, [the authorities] can find all the people who came here to test us. I feel safe and have to comply with these government rules," she said. 

Closely watched by power 

How does this digital plotting system work? Telephone operators work hand in hand with the government and the police. Smartphones are either geolocated with the GPS chip or scanned during trips or different trips. However, in Beijing, the mobile phone is an essential tool. It is used to pay at the restaurant, order a taxi, get food delivered or borrow money. 

According to Chinese media, 827,000 people are still in quarantine in Beijing and there is a 24-hour vigil for about 140 inhabitants, they are called neighborhood committees, "Baoan" or guards ... Not to mention the police, the army and cameras ...

- Sébastien Le Belzic (@slebelzic) March 9, 2020

This mass surveillance system is part of a broader strategy emanating from the State. For several years, China has indeed set up a social credit system: the good and bad actions of citizens are recorded by smartphones. With the Covid-19 crisis, Beijing extended this system and social credit operators now manage these QR codes. 

All of the residents 'actions are not only centralized in the operators' databases, but the police also seem to have broad access to them. Several NGOs are concerned about this, even though it is difficult for them to criticize the government. What tarnish the feeling of liberation felt by the Chinese after three months of confinement.