China workers in hazmat suits spray clouds of disinfection over city streets.

They are building fronts, park benches, and even shipments have become a regular sight.

Thousands of workers have been organized into teams to disinfect areas in Shanghai.

Shanghai is the epicenter of the country’s largest outbreak, according to state media.

It has a focus on those known to have hosted COVID patients.

A move the government sees as critical to halting the spread of the Omicron variant.

However, the frequent practice goes considerably beyond.

As China’s strict “zero-COVID” policy promotes a fixation with disinfecting everything.

It appears that any outdoor location is at risk of being targeted by employees utilizing leaf-blower-style disinfection machines.

In Shanghai, fire fighters have been diverted from their regular responsibilities to serve as disinfectors.

There is even a local youth league engaging volunteers for disinfection squads.

Furthermore, emergency rescue teams from all around China have been enlisted in the effort, frequently with heavy equipment and complete hazmat gear.

Special chemical manufacturing stations have been set up in some Shanghai neighborhoods.

Trucks have been rigged with chemical tanks and cannon-like equipment to spray disinfection onto the streets in others.

Disinfection robots have been stationed at train terminals and are patrolling quarantine facilities.

According to experts, the risk of spreading the virus through contaminated surfaces is extremely minimal.

Therefore sterilizing outdoor spaces such as parks and city streets is essentially worthless.

If not dangerous to public health.

“The robots and street-spraying are performative acts designed to bolster public trust in government actions,” said Nicholas Thomas, an associate professor at City University of Hong Kong.