Food sometimes difficult to access, patients refused at the hospital, fear of being placed in solitary confinement … The inhabitants of Shanghai are facing, Friday, April 1, the progressive confinement of the most populous city in China. The metropolis of 25 million inhabitants is facing its worst epidemic outbreak since the start of the pandemic.
To avoid total confinement facing Omicron, the town hall alternately put the two halves of the city under a bell to carry out a general screening there. The East (Pudong) has been totally confined since Monday for four days. From this Friday, it is the turn of the West (Puxi) for in theory the same duration.
However, many residential complexes in Pudong, where the emblematic skyscrapers of the business district are located, remain confined due to the discovery of positive cases. “It is in fact a general confinement of the city”judges a user of the social network Weibo.
#Shanghai #pudong 9 million inhabitants should have been deconfined last night. Not too many positives #Covid19 Today almost the whole city is confined. 1st containment of #Shanghai since the start of the #pandemic policy#0Covid.
credit: 福胜孙伟 pic.twitter.com/KJQDje0QJm
— FranceTVChine (@francetvchine) April 1, 2022
Sunday’s announcement of lockdowns prompted an influx of consumers into supermarkets eager to stock up on food. Vegetable prices have jumped, tripling in some markets. Even China’s ultra-popular fresh food delivery apps are struggling due to a lack of delivery people. However, no shortage is to be feared, according to the official media and the authorities have announced that they are distributing baskets of fresh produce.
“But what everyone is most afraid of is being sent to quarantine in these prefabs that serve as isolation rooms. The conditions are very bad,” confided a resident to Agence France Presse. The press also reports cases of patients with asthma or requiring dialysis who died after being turned away from hospitals for lack of negative Covid tests.
According to France television correspondent in China, Arnauld Miguet, residents who have a balcony will not be able to enjoy it during confinement. Those who have a pet have made litter boxes in their apartment, because they will not be able to take the animals out for their needs.
A senior city official, Ma Chunlei, conceded this week that preparations for Covid had been “insufficient”. On the Chinese social network Weibo, a hashtag has been created to allow Shanghainese to report their problems. The town hall has launched a helpline.
The Health Ministry on Friday announced more than 7,200 new positive cases nationwide, including around 4,500 in Shanghai. High figures for China, which applies a zero Covid strategy. Despite questioning results, the spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Mi Feng, assured that the will to continue this policy was “unwavering”.