Millions confined to homes as Shanghai battles fresh COVID-19 outbreak

By Emre Aytekin and Ali Ihsan Cam

BEIJING/ANKARA (AA) - China’s recent decision to extend the COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions in Shanghai for an indefinite period due to the rise in cases triggered a strong response by locals.

Now only police in white overalls are patrolling the streets and squares in China’s largest city, where hundreds of thousands of people had difficulty walking due to the crowd before the quarantine measures.

More than 26 million people in the city, which is the largest metropolis in Asia as well, are currently facing curfew and isolation.

Authorities have been carrying out a citywide campaign to test millions of residents.

One can see only law enforcement officers and health officers on the streets of Shanghai, which is known for its multi-story roads and forest skyscrapers.

Despite high purchasing power, local people have difficulty accessing basic food.

Although authorities said the lockdown announced on March 28 will be gradually eased, the curfew continues in most parts of the city.

The problems faced in the supply of food and medicine as well as in the provision of healthcare services are increasing day by day amid everlasting lockdown measures in Shanghai.

Numerous images shared on social media show individual and collective responses against the quarantine measures.

Footage shared on social media on Thursday showed police intervening in the citizens who were protesting the conversion of their apartment into a quarantine center in the Pudong region.

- Children separated from their parents

Health authorities' recent practice of quarantining young children who test positive for COVID-19 separately from their parents also caused anger in the public.

Tong, a Chinese citizen who did not want to reveal his name, said: “Separating children from their parents was wrong, they realized that fact later. Children should not be separated from their parents when they need special attention the most.”

Tong, the father of a 6-year-old girl, added that the authorities have decided to change the measure after the reactions, and will now allow parents to accompany their children in quarantine.

Chinese authorities have barred unvaccinated staff from entering nursing homes in Shanghai, state-run media said on Friday.

Shanghai Vice Mayor Peng Chenlei told reporters that the local government will carry out COVID-19 testing in nursing homes across the city to protect the vulnerable.

The city government also banned visits to all nursing homes and barred the delivery of goods by non-staffers.

During the past 24 hours, Shanghai confirmed 3,200 COVID-19 cases, with 19,872 being asymptomatic, according to Peng.

Driven by the omicron variant of coronavirus, it has recorded over 250,000 cases since March 1.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara