Shanghai: Shanghai officials battling the outbreak of COVID-19 Fences have been put up outside residential buildings, sparking fresh public outcry over a lockdown that has forced the city’s 25 million people indoors.
Pictures of white hazmat suit-clad workers sealing the entrances of housing blocks and sealing off entire streets with green fences about two meters long went viral on social media, prompting questions and complaints from residents.
A user on social media platform Weibo said, “It is very insulting to the rights of people inside, metal barriers are used to surround them like domestic animals.”
One video showed people shouting from balconies at workers who were trying to put up a fence and then taking it away. Other videos show people trying to pull down the fence.
“Isn’t it a fire hazard?” asked another Weibo user.
Several fences were built around compounds designated “sealed areas” – buildings where at least one person tested positive for COVID-19, meaning residents are forbidden from leaving their front doors.
It was not clear what prompted the authorities to resort to fencing. A notice shared online on Saturday by a local authority said it was imposing “tougher quarantine” in some areas.
Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the notices or all of the images, but a green fence was seen on a street in central Shanghai on Sunday.
In recent days, Reuters has also called for police in hazmat suits patrolling the streets of Shanghai, setting up road blocks and asking pedestrians to return home.
The Shanghai government did not respond to a request for comment.
Suffering
China’s most populous city and most important economic hub is grappling with the country’s biggest Covid-19 outbreak with a policy that forces all positive cases into quarantine centres.
The lockdown, which has lasted more than three weeks for many residents, has fueled frustration over lost wages, family isolation and quarantine conditions, as well as access to medical care and food.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd-backed supermarket Freshipo said on Sunday it was adding couriers to meet demand in the city.
The lockdown has also dragged down the world’s second-largest economy, with factory production disrupted by disrupted supply chains and difficulties faced by locked-down residents returning to work.
Shanghai is conducting daily COVID-19 tests across the city and moving positive cases to central facilities to eliminate virus transmission outside of quarantine zones.
According to residents and social media posts, over the past week, officials have moved entire communities, including uninfected ones, saying they needed to disinfect their homes.
Many residents have turned to the internet to talk about the lockdown and express dissatisfaction, using euphemisms and other means to fight government censors, often removing material critical of officials.
The video of a protest anthem from “Les Miserables,” with the headline of the French musical, “Do You Hear the People Sing?”, has been widely reposted on WeChat on Saturday, data from the chat app shows.
Shanghai reported 39 Covid-19 deaths for April 23, versus 12 a day earlier and the most so far during the current outbreak.
It did not report any deaths in the first few weeks, raising doubts among residents about the figures. Since then, 87 people have died in the last seven days.
The city recorded 19,657 new locally transmitted asymptomatic cases, versus 20,634 a day earlier, and 1,401 symptomatic, versus 2,736.
The cases outside the quarantine zones took the total to 280 from 218 the previous day. Once cases dropped to zero, other cities began easing restrictions.
Succeeded to a large extent in keeping Kovid-19 at bay after initial outbreak in China wuhan At the end of 2019, with a “dynamic zero” policy aimed at sealing the chains of transition.
That approach has been challenged by the spread of the highly contagious but less deadly Omicron variant, which has prompted cities to impose varying levels of restrictions on movement.
Nationwide, China reported 20,285 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases for Saturday, versus 21,423, with 1,580 symptomatic cases a day earlier, versus 2,988.
Beijing 22 new Covid-19 cases were reported – all locally transmitted – compared to six days earlier, prompting many gyms and after-school activity providers to suspend in-person classes.
Pictures of white hazmat suit-clad workers sealing the entrances of housing blocks and sealing off entire streets with green fences about two meters long went viral on social media, prompting questions and complaints from residents.
A user on social media platform Weibo said, “It is very insulting to the rights of people inside, metal barriers are used to surround them like domestic animals.”
One video showed people shouting from balconies at workers who were trying to put up a fence and then taking it away. Other videos show people trying to pull down the fence.
“Isn’t it a fire hazard?” asked another Weibo user.
Several fences were built around compounds designated “sealed areas” – buildings where at least one person tested positive for COVID-19, meaning residents are forbidden from leaving their front doors.
It was not clear what prompted the authorities to resort to fencing. A notice shared online on Saturday by a local authority said it was imposing “tougher quarantine” in some areas.
Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the notices or all of the images, but a green fence was seen on a street in central Shanghai on Sunday.
In recent days, Reuters has also called for police in hazmat suits patrolling the streets of Shanghai, setting up road blocks and asking pedestrians to return home.
The Shanghai government did not respond to a request for comment.
Suffering
China’s most populous city and most important economic hub is grappling with the country’s biggest Covid-19 outbreak with a policy that forces all positive cases into quarantine centres.
The lockdown, which has lasted more than three weeks for many residents, has fueled frustration over lost wages, family isolation and quarantine conditions, as well as access to medical care and food.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd-backed supermarket Freshipo said on Sunday it was adding couriers to meet demand in the city.
The lockdown has also dragged down the world’s second-largest economy, with factory production disrupted by disrupted supply chains and difficulties faced by locked-down residents returning to work.
Shanghai is conducting daily COVID-19 tests across the city and moving positive cases to central facilities to eliminate virus transmission outside of quarantine zones.
According to residents and social media posts, over the past week, officials have moved entire communities, including uninfected ones, saying they needed to disinfect their homes.
Many residents have turned to the internet to talk about the lockdown and express dissatisfaction, using euphemisms and other means to fight government censors, often removing material critical of officials.
The video of a protest anthem from “Les Miserables,” with the headline of the French musical, “Do You Hear the People Sing?”, has been widely reposted on WeChat on Saturday, data from the chat app shows.
Shanghai reported 39 Covid-19 deaths for April 23, versus 12 a day earlier and the most so far during the current outbreak.
It did not report any deaths in the first few weeks, raising doubts among residents about the figures. Since then, 87 people have died in the last seven days.
The city recorded 19,657 new locally transmitted asymptomatic cases, versus 20,634 a day earlier, and 1,401 symptomatic, versus 2,736.
The cases outside the quarantine zones took the total to 280 from 218 the previous day. Once cases dropped to zero, other cities began easing restrictions.
Succeeded to a large extent in keeping Kovid-19 at bay after initial outbreak in China wuhan At the end of 2019, with a “dynamic zero” policy aimed at sealing the chains of transition.
That approach has been challenged by the spread of the highly contagious but less deadly Omicron variant, which has prompted cities to impose varying levels of restrictions on movement.
Nationwide, China reported 20,285 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases for Saturday, versus 21,423, with 1,580 symptomatic cases a day earlier, versus 2,988.
Beijing 22 new Covid-19 cases were reported – all locally transmitted – compared to six days earlier, prompting many gyms and after-school activity providers to suspend in-person classes.