China suspends over 1,000 social media accounts critical of its COVID policies amid widespread demonstrations

• Chinese social network Sina Weibo said it suspended or permanently banned 1,120 accounts.
• COVID-19 cases have surged in China after the country ended most pandemic restrictions.

China suspended more than 1,000 social media accounts critical of the government's policies on the country's current COVID-19 outbreak.

Chinese social media site Sina Weibo said that it temporarily suspended or permanently banned 1,120 accounts, according to The Associated Press. The site said it addressed 12,854 "violations" including attacks on medical experts and workers, according to the AP.

Sina Weibo said it would "continue to increase the investigation and cleanup of all kinds of illegal content, and create a harmonious and friendly community environment for the majority of users," in a statement on Thursday, according to the AP.

China has used mass quarantines and testing, among other restrictions, since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, but most of its pandemic restrictions ended last month, leading to a rise in cases in the country that has strained its medical resources.

Many Posts on Weibo had previously been critical of the government's harsh lockdown tactics, but now they have shifted their focus to experts who promoted the sudden end of the country's COVID-19 restriction methods, according to BBC.

"It is not acceptable to hurl insults at people who hold a different point of view, or publish personal attacks and views that incite conflicts," Weibo said in a statement according to BBC.

On Sunday, China will drop a rule that required travelers coming from abroad to quarantine before entering the country for the first time since 2020.