Strong concern in Shanghai: Calipers grab citizens to take them to quarantine centers

There is a huge global concern about the situation in Shanghai, amid the lockdown in China due to the increase in coronavirus cases.

The largest city in Asia resembles a “ghost”, as there are only robots, drones and people in special costumes. At the same time, the shops remain closed and the means of public transport have stopped operating.

People in most parts of the city are not allowed to leave their homes for any reason. Not even to take their pets for a walk or go to the grocery store. At the same time, more and more people are being forcibly removed from their homes to be transferred to special quarantine facilities.

In fact, it makes an impression that people who have neither symptoms nor positive tests are led to them. The list of those who are forced to give up their home is growing, so that it becomes a place for the sick. City officials have begun converting schools, newly built residential buildings, and exhibition centers into quarantine centers, and last week announced they had created more than 160,000 beds in more than 100 campaign hospitals.

A woman uses her mobile phone to harass the authorities in a house next door, while she is heard wondering crying “but why do they do this to an old man?” Huge buildings housing thousands of people are literally sealed. Beams are placed at the entrances. Elevators are turned off in skyscrapers with residents being forced to go down and up dozens of floors on foot to pick up medicine and food.

Despite authorities’ efforts to prevent such videos from being posted on the Internet, Shanghai residents are venting their anger on social media. There, they denounce unbridled violence, human rights abuses, horrific food shortages, and even the killing of pets. Fear of lack of food intensifies as the days go by. The problem lies in the distribution, ie the transport of food from the distribution point to the homes. The special ticket tickets that are now required for the delivery services to enter specific areas and the disinfection procedures make the process even more difficult. In addition to these challenges, food from outside Shanghai is difficult to get in due to street checkpoints. Everyone remains trapped, trying to find out on the Internet where food can be procured, how, but also how long the delivery will take. Vegetables and milk usually go to the main gate of the apartment complex, where volunteers disinfect them, before different volunteers from the residents come down to pick them up. Most did not have time before quarantine to get the essentials and feel lucky when they get a bag of rice for four people!

The immobilizations of people, even with calipers, made a special impression.

With this and that, the authorities seem to be implementing the policy of “zero coronavirus tolerance”. Referring to the reasons that led to such a severe lockdown, experts cite the low vaccination rates and the spread of Omicron 2. As this situation continues, concerns about delays in product deliveries worldwide are growing.