The patience of one million Chinese citizens has been tested over the last three years.

This patience is now gone.

Thousands of people protest against Covid restrictions in cities, and an exhausted nation asks: How long can they continue to endure Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy?

As the country tries to escape the pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party must now deal with mounting anger and deep-rooted fear of Covid in one of President Xi’s most difficult political tests.

An open flame that ignited public anger

A fire at an apartment in Urumqi, west China, may seem unlikely to spark nationwide protests.

The fatal incident that claimed 10 lives was the worst nightmare scenario for urban Chinese living in high-rise apartments. They were trapped in their flats, and unable to escape the roaring fire from a tightly enforced lockdown.

Although authorities denied this, it didn’t stop the public from reacting to the videos and audio clips that purportedly featured residents screaming and beg for their release.

This incident is just one of many horror stories that have been linked to Covid restrictions.

Early in the day, reports emerged that pregnant women lost their babies during lockdowns across the city. Older and more vulnerable people died from lack of timely access medical care.

Many lockdowns had the same stories about food and medicine shortages. It became obvious that local authorities were having difficulty coping.

Then came more tragic incidents, like a bus accident that left dozens dead and ferried them to quarantine centres.

Many hoped for a reprieve at the CCP congress, where Mr Xi cemented power. But he stated that there would not be any change to zero Covid. This caused more dismay.

China has one of the lowest Covid death rates per capita in the world, and this policy is no doubt saving many lives. However, it has also slowed down the energy of its citizens.

The suffering under Covid restrictions has been a unifying experience. It breeds anger in many parts of China, from the major cities to remote regions like Xinjiang or Tibet.

It has ignited every segment of society, including students, factory workers and middle-class families.

A protest was held on a Beijing bridge by a man, shocking the country with his openly hostile criticism of President Xi. It set the standard for more direct and sharper dissent within and outside China and encouraged many others.

Many factory workers gathered in Zhengzhou to demand their rights. They fought with police as they broke surveillance cameras and windows. A man wearing a mask was seen shouting, “Give me liberty or give me my death!” in Chongqing, south-west. This rallying cry was picked up by many protesters.

The stage was set for large-scale demonstrations by the time that the Urumqi fire occurred. Hundreds marched in the streets of that city at first, and many others followed in Shanghai, Beijing Wuhan, Nanjing, Nanjing, Nanjing, Chengdu and Wuhan. Some even called for the resignations of Mr Xi, the CCP, and Wuhan.

In a country that punishes and censors all criticism of its leaders and party members, this was unimaginable.

According to observers, the protests represent a tipping point for Covid dissent and complicate an already difficult situation for the government.

Ho-fung Hung, a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University, stated that they were “a very difficult situation” and would be the first serious test of Mr Xi’s rule.

“Over the past two years, Mr Xi backed into a corner with his zero-Covid policies. If protests continue to grow, the best way for him is to press local authorities to crackdown while maintaining his distance.

“But then, there is the risk that local authorities may refuse to follow this directive closely because they are also worn down by zero-Covid rigidities.”

Covid is a terrifying and hateful subject.

The government could also listen to protesters and dewind zero Covid.

It would be difficult to do this now, while minimizing deaths and infections, due to low vaccination rates in the elderly, the lack of highly effective domestic vaccines and the refusal of the government to use foreign vaccines as a standard.

Rana Mitter, an Oxford University professor of modern Chinese History, said that there was a dilemma for government. Do they import foreign vaccines which may be embarrassing for nationalistic reasons or do they keep the border closed so they can maintain this policy without an end date?

China has recently shown a willingness to ease its restrictions, reducing quarantine periods and stopping recording secondary contacts.

However, it is evident that any relaxation in measures will lead to an increase in the number of infections and deaths, as was seen in Australia and Singapore.

This is an outcome that the Chinese authorities seem unwilling to accept.

Beijing, Guangzhou and other cities have imposed restrictions in order to combat new outbreaks. Experts have warned that it will be difficult to keep zero Covid long-term due to the rapid evolution of the virus and the limited resources of the government.

“Even though the government may want to change its course, it still needs to deal with the sudden surge in cases across the country. Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow in global health at The Council on Foreign Relations, stated that the virus is not being contained by the state or the public.

One problem is that officials fear that Covid deaths could spiral out of control, causing social unrest.

There is still fear among the Chinese of Covid despite being taught by the state for three years that the virus is a threat to their safety.

Rumours have been spreading in Zhengzhou’s city of Shijiazhuang that residents would be used to test the effects of Covid if it was allowed to spread unchecked.

Both places were shaken by panic, and Zhengzhou workers even attempted a mass escape.

Some people feel that anger has replaced fear. Recent demonstrations have seen protestors gather in large, dense groups, some with masks snatched off, calling for freedom and easing restrictions.

It is still unclear when and how this will occur.

The Chinese Communist Party and Mr Xi