2022: Peking U Students on “Epidemic Prevention and Control” (Draft) and Tsinghua U Alumni Statement

Statements from students at @PKU1898 and @Tsinghua_Uni, found on the internet. Well done, especially the PKU one (but I’m biased towards the place where I grew up). pic.twitter.com/snlgiEnHWA
— Taisu Zhang (@ZhangTaisu) November 27, 2022

Via Taisu Zhang on Twitter. Translations followed by Chinese language text.

Declaration of some students of Peking University on the prevention and control of the epidemic (draft for comment)

Recently, the implementation of the dynamic zero policy has revealed more and more problems, and even caused many horrible tragedies. As the cradle of democracy and science in China, Peking University has been with the future and destiny of the Chinese nation for more than 100 years. I hope that in view of the current situation, and with the expectation of the future, we, 40-odd students of Peking University, have decided to make our voices heard after discussion, given that it is impossible to hold a university-wide meeting on the relevant topic:

Looking back at the early days of the epidemic, we should acknowledge that the policies implemented by the Party and the government saved the lives of millions of people and preserved the health of millions of people, and that countless grassroots workers devoted their efforts and even sacrificed their lives to these policies, which should be commemorated forever. However, even if the policy itself is correct, if it is not understood and supported by the people, it will be difficult to sustain. Why is the prevention and control policy becoming more and more unpopular? Why do the following situations continue to occur despite the central government’s repeated orders: patients or mothers are denied timely medical treatment because they cannot provide their nucleic acid results, residents and students are forcibly transferred and quarantined without their knowledge, and doors are blocked so that people have nowhere to go or even lose their lives in the event of an accident ……

We believe that the reason for the recurrence of these situations is that without mandatory orders linking epidemic preparedness to the appointment and removal of officials, it is difficult to enforce them seriously. However, once administrative means are used to implement the policy, those who actually implement it will inevitably focus on fulfilling the requirements of their superiors and disregard the actual demands of the people. They will keep raising the bar at every level to ensure that they have a perfect record. Moreover, the authorities have abused their power to control public opinion by blocking and deleting comments on policy. This makes it impossible for the public to express their dissatisfaction with and to criticize specific implementations, or even to call for help in time when they face difficulties. The protests and demonstrations everywhere today are also the inevitable result of such a situation.

Therefore, we hereby call for:

To avoid the abuse of public power, all regional quarantine blockades should be stopped to ensure that all people in communities, villages, units and schools can enter and leave freely;
Abolish technical means to monitor the whereabouts of citizens, such as pass codes and “jiankang bao” cell phone tracking app. Stop considering the spread of the epidemic as the responsibility of certain individuals or institutions. Devote resources to long-term work such as vaccine, drug development and hospital construction;
Implement voluntary nucleic acid testing and voluntary quarantine for undiagnosed and asymptomatic individuals;
Liberalize restrictions on the expression of public opinion and allow suggestions and criticism of specific implementation problems in different regions;
Make truthful disclosures of infection data, including the number of infected people, the death rate, long sequelae rate, to eliminate epidemic panic during the transition.

We hope to stop the mandatory nucleic acid requirement for asymptomatic people with no record of entering or leaving the school, and to cancel the authorization of the Youth Research Center to monitor various public opinion platforms.

One might ask, “Is the above call for a complete standing down? Isn’t that the same as letting the virus run wild? Our answer is that, from a public health perspective, it is impossible to stop the spread of the virus in the country in a short period of time. The most urgent task now is to find a temporary way of coexistence that minimizes the danger of the epidemic while ensuring basic social order and basic economic and livelihood needs. When this has reached a critical point, and there is still no adequate explanation or response, then everyone should do their best to make their voices heard.

And this is our statement.

A statement by some alumni of Tsinghua University

To Our Alma Mater Tsinghua University:

We took note of the assembly of mourning of the students at the Purple Garden Cafeteria of Tsinghua University on the afternoon of November 27, 2022. We salute the students who were there to express their views. We believe that the students stood up for themselves as Chinese people.

We noticed that the students were holding white paper and the slogans were specific. As the students explained, this question was raised by Tsinghua University on October 16, 2022 to “ensure the safety and health of the university’s teaching and research, and to prevent all kinds of safety hazards, it is forbidden to print unapproved matter in the print store on campus.” Students expressed their opposition to this decision by holding up sheets of blank paper. We believe that the students’ objections are fully justified. Healthy public discussion requires free expression, and it is inappropriate for a school to view it as a “safety hazard to its students. Holding a blank sheet of paper without a point of view can lead to attacks and misinterpretation of positions, so students are advised to protect themselves.

We noticed that the teacher in charge of student work was also present. We are aware of the risks that students face in expressing their views. Therefore in the name of the alumni, we hope that teachers will make a clear written commitment on behalf of the university that will not make any accusations against students who participated in this rally. We also and that they will not penalize in subsequent teaching and research work for this and that they will protect the students who participated in the rally from any unreasonable treatment by any unit or institution outside the university, and from any so-called external forces. The students should be protected from any unreasonable treatment by any unit or institution outside the university, and from any accusation that they are working for so-called foreign forces.

We note that the daily lives of students and faculty have been affected by the strict closure measures. As alumni, we do not have the authority to decide for the students and faculty whether or not the administration should be improved, nor do we have the authority to decide for the students and faculty how the administration should be changed. As alumni, we can only hope that the school can make the relevant decisions in a democratic manner, based on the “Notice on Further Optimizing the Prevention and Control Measures of the New Pneumonia Epidemic” issued by the State Council on November 11, 2022, and stop adding covid codes, stop arbitarily changing the rules overnight. We will not allow any “arbitrary made-up” regulations, no more tests and control measures that exceed the requirements of the Notice, and no more intimidating, simple and violent work methods that endanger the psychological health of students.

We note that the work and lives of the school’s logistics and security workers have been affected by the strict lockdown measures. The workers are not directly employed by the school, so the school has a strong legal basis for not being responsible for the placement, compensation, and benefits of the workers. However, we do not believe that this is the kind of social responsibility that is expected of a world-class university. Under sequestration, the rights of workers are less protected than those of staffed faculty and cared-for students. We believe that Tsinghua University should initiate a survey of workers’ living conditions or allow faculty and students to conduct their own surveys and allocate a certain amount of resources to housing workers. To prevent students and faculty from having contact with workers is against the fine tradition of the Chinese Communist Party and is highly inappropriate.

We believe that the students’ spontaneous walk to the entrance of the Ziyouyuan cafeteria today is out of their deep concern for their compatriots and their concern for the

We believe they went there out of a deep concern for our compatriots and a sense of responsibility for our school, society and country. We believe that loving our school and country is not the same as defending our school and country at all times. Contrary to “my school/country is always right,” true love of country and school is expressed as “on the contrary, since I truly love my country and love my school, that is expressed by “I share the happiness of my compatriots, and I share the pain of my compatriots therefore “I want my school/my country to do the right thing. If my school/country are going down the wrong road, then our of a genuine feeling of responsibility, I will want people to abandon their “lying flat” attitude and stand up. It is just because people have that sense of responsibility that the the people can fight for a better life.

We believe that although such a sense of responsibility may conflict with the short-term convenience of the administrators, as long as the administrators do not forget their original intention of serving the people and do not regard the people who truly love the university and the country as their enemy. This conflict can be decently resolved by the administrators’ improving their own standards and democratic demeanor. As alumni, we believe that our alma mater Tsinghua University will make the right choice at this critical moment.

End.

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|北京大学部分学生关于疫情防控问题的宣言(征求意见稿)

近日来,动态清零政策在执行过程中,暴露出越来越多的问题,甚至造成了许多骇人听闻的悲剧。而民众自发的抗议与呼声,又一再被压制,得不到充分的回应,所有良知尚存的中华儿女,面对此情此景,已再无置若罔闻的可能,北京大学作为中国民主与科学的摇篮,在百余年的历史中,素来与中华民族的前途及命运同在。希望针对目前的形势,带着对未来的期待,在无法召开相关主题的全校学生会议的条件下,我们四十余名北大同学经讨论后决定,先发出自己的声音:

回望疫情初期,应该承认,党和政府执行的政策,一度挽救了数以百万计人民的生命,维护了千万人民的健康,无数基层工作者为之付出了巨大的心血,甚至牺牲了生命,这是我们要永远纪念的。然而,即便政策本身是正确的,如果得不到人民的理解与支持,它也是难以持续推行的。防控政策为什么会越来越不得人心?为什么口中央三令五申之后,下列情形仍不断出现:患者或产妇因为不能提供核酸结果因而得不到及时医救、居民与学生在不知情的状况下被强制转运与隔离、封门堵路使得 (回意外发生时人们无处逃生甚至失去生命……

我们认为,上述种种情况不断重演的原因在于,如果不采取强制性的命令,将防疫情况与官员的任免挂钩,就难以有人去认真执行。然而,一旦使用行政手段来推行实际执行者不免会只顾完成上级要求,不顾人民实际诉求,层层加码,以保万无一失,许许多多荒诞的闹剧与悲剧,就是因此而发生的,随着病毒对生命与健康 OM 的威胁在下降,政策的负面影响愈发突出,甚至超过了疫情本身对社会的伤害。同时有关部门滥用舆论管控权力,只堵不疏,一删了之,使得群众无法表达对具体执行的不满与批评,甚至在面对困境时无法及时呼救。今日各地此起彼伏的抗议与示威,也是在此情形下必然会发生的结果。

因此,我们在此呼吁:

1、为避免公权力的滥用,应停止一切区域性封锁行为,保证各社区、乡村、单位、学校内全部人员能够自由出入、流动;

2、取消通行码、健康宝等监控公民个人行踪的技术手段,不再将疫情的扩散视作某些个人或机构的责任,并将资源投入到疫苗、药品研发和医院建设等长效性工作中;

3、对于未确诊以及无症状人员,实行自愿核酸检测,自愿隔离的政策;

4、放开舆论管控,允许对各地具体执行中的问题进行建议与批评:

5、如实公开感染数据,包括感染人数,致死率、长后遗症率,消除对疫情过渡恐

慌的情绪;倡导非重症患者自行居家隔离、服药治疗; 落实到校园之内,我们希望,全面停用差别对待学生与教职工的出入校审批制家停止对无症状,无出入校记录人员的强制性核酸要求;取消青年研究中心监控各種内舆论平台的权力。

或许有人会问,以上的呼声,是否等于完全销平?是否等于放任病毒肆虐?我们的答复是,从公共卫生的角度,在短时间内于国内彻底阻断病毒的传播,本就是无法完成的任务。现在的当务之急,是探索一条在保证基本社会秩序、保证基本的经济与民生需求的基础上,尽量降低疫情危害性的暂时共存之路。而不是不惜一切代价去追求一个不可实现的目标——毕竟这个代价本身,也是由人民在承受,当这样的 |承受已达到一个临界点,却依然得不到充分的解释与回应时,那么所有人都应该尽力发出自己的声音。

而这,就是我们的声音了。

母校清华大学:

我们注意到了2022年11月27日下午华大学紫园食堂门解同学们的哀痛会们向现场属于表达自己观点的同学们表示敬意。我们相信,再学们是出于身为中国人任慈而站出来的。

我们注意到,现场的同学们手持白纸,而丰具体的口号。经在校同学解释,這問为清华大学留于2022年10月16日以“确保学校教学科研安全健定、杜各类安全隐作出瓶定,禁止校内打印店印刷未经被验的內容,而再学们以手白纸的方式表达对这叔定的反对。我们认为,同学们的反对是完全合理的。健康的公共讨论必须以自由的表为前提,而学校将自己的学生视为“安全隐患”,也是不适当的。手持白纸没有观点可能祝人攻击既曲解立场,因此建议学弟学妹保护好自己

我们注意到,负责学生工作的老师也在现场。我们深知同学们表达观点所面临的险,因此我们以校友的名义,希望学工老师可以代表学校作出明确的书面承诺,对于参这一集会的同学不追究任何责任,在后续的教学研究工作中也不可以此为由制造障碍, 要保护参与集会的同学免受校外一切单位或机关的不合理对待,免受所谓填外勢力非的指责。

我们注意到,在严格的封控措施之下,学校师生的日常生活受到了影响。作为友,我们无权誉在校师生决定是否应该改进管理方式,也无权替在校师生决定该如何改管理方式。作为校友,我们仅仅希望,学校能够以民主的方式作出相关决策,以国务 2022年11月11日发布的《关于进一步优化新冠肺炎疫情防控措施科学精准做好防控工作的通知》为准,杜绝加码,杜绝“拍脑门“朝令夕改”式的规定,杜绝超过《通知》要求的大测和封控措施,杜绝包含恐吓意味的、简单粗暴的、危害同学心理健康的工作方式。

我们注意到,在严格的封控措施之下,学校内后勤与安保工人的工作和生活受到了影响。工人们并不直接受雇于学校,因此学校有充足的法理依据不必对工人们的安置、椒偿和福利问题负责。但我们认为,这不是一所世界一流大学所应有的社会责任感。在封持措施之下,工人们的权利比起拥/有编制的教师和受到照顾的学生更难以得到保障。我们认为,清华大学应当发起对工人生活情况的调查,或者允许师生自发调查,并分配一定的源用以安置工人。阻止师生与工人接触,违背了中国共产党的优良传统,是极不适当的。

我们认为,同学们今天自发走到紫荆园食堂门口,正是出于对同胞的深深关切,对

学校、对社会、对国家的责任感。我们相信,爱校爱国不等于时时刻刻维护学校和国家的一切做法。与“我的学校/国家做得一定对”相反,真正的爱国爱校,表现为“我要乐同胞之所乐、痛同胞之所痛,以及“我要让我的学校/国家做正确的事。如果学校/国家走在不正确的道路上,那么只有真正的责任感才会驱使人们放弃”躺平”而站起来。正是因为有这种责任感,人民才会为更好的生活去奋斗。

我们相信,这样的责任感可能会与管理者短期的方便相冲突,但只要管理者不忘为人民服务的初心,不将真正爱校爱国的群众视为敌人,这种冲突就一定可以通过管理者提升自身水平,发扬民主风度而获得体面的解决。作为校友,我们相信母校清华大学在这一关键时刻一定会作出正确的选择。此致