China: Shanghai's COVID restrictions fuel fear of another mass lockdown

China's Shanghai is witnessing COVID restrictions again as the Communist Party Congress is nearing. This has led to fear amongst residents of Shanghai that the city might be locked down again, as per a report from The Guardian.

Shanghai was in the news a few months ago when China imposed severe COVID-19 restrictions on Shanghai. The city's government has said that there is no mass lockdown on the cards but word of mouth about localised lockdown is making residents worried about yet another lockdown.

Shanghai was locked down for two months, which led to cries of protest from people stuck in their houses. Several people had no access to food as they were not allowed to go out and shop for food from the market. Now, Shanghai is witnessing snap lockdowns in parts of the city. 

Schools are being shut down

Several schools have reportedly gone back to virtual classes as 46 neighbourhoods have been categorised as high risk and medium risk, across Shanghai's 14 out of 16 districts. Entertainment centres and sporting venues are being shut down and the authorities have decided that all new arrivals to Shanghai must get tested within 24 hours of their arrival into the city. People on Chinese social media are sharing information that claims the fire exit to their building has been locked. Some are saying that pets are left without anyone to care for them because the pet owners have been quarantined. “I have experienced the lockdown of Xi’an, the lockdown of Shanghai, and now it’s Zhengzhou, please! Is there anyone unluckier than me?" said one social media user.

China's state media is urging compliance 

On Wednesday, Shanghai recorded just 44 cases, out of which only three were locally transmitted. As of now, reportedly 197 million people are under varying degrees of lockdown across China, spanning 36 cities in 31 provinces. Many people were blocked from re-entering Beijing after spending their holiday week outside because the authorities claim that they might increase the epidemic risk in Beijing. China's state media is disseminating the message that all citizens need to abide by the government restrictions as they are the only way through which loss of life can be avoided.