Every morning, people all over Shanghai wake up early to try to buy groceries online, frantically refreshing the pages of various stores in the hope of getting lucky. “I’m running out of food and I’m terrified,” said Erin Zhang, who lives in central Puxi. Like millions of people in Shanghai, she could not leave her home for more than a week now due to the severe COVID-19 blockade that caught many residents unprepared. The restrictions were due to expire in much of the city this week, but on Tuesday the authorities of the Chinese financial center extended them indefinitely as they await the results of a nationwide test effort that took samples from nearly 26 million inhabitants in just 24 hours. Nearly 80 percent of these samples have been tested, authorities said, with positive results at the individual level. China blames Hong Kong for worst COVID-19 outbreak since 2020 On Tuesday, Shanghai reported a record 13,354 new cases, a significant increase from Monday’s 9,006, an unprecedented high. The vast majority of cases are asymptomatic, however, something that experts have attributed to the city’s preventive control process – but has led to accusations of overreaction from many residents. Tens of thousands of doctors, volunteers and soldiers from across the country took part in Monday’s mass trials. It is hoped that this will allow authorities to isolate positive cases and eliminate contamination chains, hastening the end of the lockdown. The restrictions were met with a rare level of anger and resistance in a country where until recently the population widely supported strict efforts to curb the virus. Children who test positive have been separated from their parents and some residents have shared shocking stories on social media, as well as photos and videos of distressed infants and toddlers in crowded hospital wards. On Monday, the policy changed to allow parents who have also been found positive to stay with their infected children. But for the most part residents have been outraged by the confusing quarantine regulations and logistical failures that have seen many residents struggling to get enough food. “Day 17 of the Shanghai COVID lockdown and food remains a priority,” US attorney Jared Nelson wrote on social media on Monday. “As usual, I woke up at 6 in the morning to try to order deliveries. I have 10 applications that I cycle repeatedly from various stores / platforms for several hours trying to find anything. “No success with this method again today.” Ms Zhang said her neighborhood committee had distributed some supplies, but feared it would run out of basic items. Many of the vegetables he received seemed on the verge of rotting, a common complaint on the internet. “I could not eat even half,” he said. “They were so coarse, they looked like they had been sitting outside for many days before they gave them to me.” For those parts of the city where the looser rules mean people can go shopping, there have been excursions with produce and fresh meat, leaving the shelves bare. The shortages affected even the state-run COVID-19 isolation facility. Videos posted on the Internet show people fighting over supplies, with a widely circulated Weibo post asking: “Is this Shanghai or this hell?” Dali Yang, an expert on Chinese politics and governance at the University of Chicago, described the growing anger as “a pivotal moment not only for Shanghai but also for China’s national” zero-COVID dynamic strategy “. Since 2020, Beijing has taken one of the world’s toughest approaches to reducing pandemics, responding to fast-paced cases and mass trials. Although this has proven to be highly effective, it is being severely tested by the most contagious variant of Omicron and there is evidence of increasing fatigue in the public, especially as much of the world is turning to life with the virus. The Shanghai blockade was originally intended to be district-to-district, not city-wide, and other municipalities have responded to recent cases with greater flexibility than before. One incentive to move to a more relaxed approach is the cost of lockdowns and restrictions at a time when Beijing is trying to stimulate the economy. According to a recent study by a group of economists in China and the US, a prolonged lockdown of a city the size of Shanghai could cut China’s GDP by up to 4 percent. The existing measures could already cost the country up to 295 billion yuan ($ 46.3 billion) a month, according to Hong Kong Chinese University professor Michael Song. However, this does not mean that China will abandon its approach to zero COVID-19 soon. Despite the social and economic costs of lockdowns, the consequences of a nationwide epidemic could be even worse. While about 90 percent of China’s population is vaccinated, this is largely directed at younger people, especially when it comes to the booster vaccine, which is vital for protection against Omicron. As of March 31, only about half of those over 60 had received three piercings, according to Lei Zhenglong, a National Health Committee (NHC) official. The research also found that China’s domestically produced vaccines, which are based on older technology than widely used mRNA vaccines elsewhere, offer less protection against Omicron, although booster vaccines largely make up the difference. Several domestic mRNA vaccines are currently being tested, and on Monday, CanSino Biologics said its vaccine had been approved for inclusion. Hong Kong recently showed what happens when Omicron rages in an area with poor vaccination rates. Since late December, Hong Kong has the highest COVID-19 death rate in the world, with the majority of deaths among the elderly, unvaccinated. “Hong Kong is a very profound lesson for us, an example that if the vaccination rate for the elderly is low, the rate of serious cases and deaths will be high,” NHC Deputy Managing Director Wang Hesheng said last month. “We must not regret it when it is too late.” With reports from Alexandra Li and Reuters. Our Morning and Afternoon Newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
