Shanghai is erecting metal barriers nearly a month after a citywide lockdowna reflection of how its covid crisis is intensifying despite the strict restrictions that have kept millions of people locked up in their homes for weeks.
Green metal material fences are being installed in China’s most populous city after the authorities declared tougher measures to achieve “dynamic zero covid”.
The Shanghai residents shocked to find barriers sealing off exits from their buildingsas trucks deposited piles of fences over the weekend, according to photos and posts shared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
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Many complained that the measures were inhumane and posed serious fire risks by blocking escape routes. Images on social media also showed that the fences sealed off sections of the normally busy Yongkang Road, known for its bars and restaurants.
City authorities began a “nine actions” plan on Friday, which included reduce social mixing as much as possible by ensuring that residents do not leave their homes or compounds if there have been positive cases. China reported 20,194 infections on Sunday, most of them in Shanghai.
The metal barriers represent an escalation of restrictions that began on March 28, when officials hoped a double lockdown would quickly bring the outbreak under control. Instead, stringent mitigation measures have dragged on, makes it difficult for residents to access fresh food and essential health careeven as the number of cases remains high.
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A lots of China watchers and residents of the country’s largest cities never believed that the draconian measures used elsewhere to contain covid would be implemented in places like Shanghai or Beijing, now facing their own outbreak. The increasingly harsh policies are beginning to weigh on the population and raise questions about their costs and benefits.
Zhong Hongjun, a professor at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, used to be a moderate supporter of the ‘Covid Zero’ strategy. He changed his mind and now opposes what he calls inhumane measures, he said on the Weibo social networking site.
“I always thought that Shanghai would never sink this low,” Zhong wrote on Friday. “I was too naive and stupid.”
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