I think a poker analogy is the best way to frame it. At this point they are basically face saving "pot committed" to zero COVID. In a face saving culture you

I think a poker analogy is the best way to frame it. At this point they are basically face saving "pot committed" to zero COVID. In a face saving culture you can't just come out tomorrow that zero COVID was a strategy that makes no sense when you went "all in". Ultimately, people would probably lose more faith in the party if they did a zero COVID 180. Surely we are over reacting to the few protests we see online. The vast majority of people in China are just going to go along with this.