For millions of people still locked down in Shanghai, listening to officials tout the city’s victory over Covid-19 and its “reopening” is infuriating.
Some are so frustrated with being confined that conflicts with police have broken out. One compound, sealed off from the world since April 1 and told that lockdown would last at least another 10 days, saw a handful of people detained after they walked out in protest, said one resident, who asked to be identified only by his surname Li, fearful of reprisal for speaking out.
Almost all of Shanghai’s 25 million residents were confined to their homes for two months after the highly infectious omicron variant penetrated the city’s defenses this spring. More than two million are still living under various forms of lockdown, while others, meant to be enjoying restored freedoms, find themselves walking on eggshells amids reports -- and rumors -- about where the virus is lurking.
Take the flash shutdown of the luxury IFC shopping mall in the heart of Shanghai’s financial district Thursday, which trapped some shoppers and staff inside. The galleria, home to international luxury stores from Louis Vuitton to Dior, shut its doors shortly after its 10 a.m. opening, without notice.
Videos circulating on social media showed the chaos the move caused, with many shoppers seen running down an escalator and dashing to the mall’s exit.
It’s unclear exactly what triggered the seemingly spontaneous action. Amid online rumors that the shutdown stemmed from a suspected infection found within the mall, the property manager said it was simply disinfecting the property following a request from the government shortly after it opened. It resumed operations at 12:30 p.m., the spokesperson told Bloomberg.
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The jitters on the ground stand in contrast to the official line coming from Shanghai’s leaders, who on Wednesday lifted most of the mobility restrictions imposed on the population. State-run media ballyhooed the move, claiming victory over the virus and the success of the country’s Covid Zero approach to the pandemic.
Growing Discontent
Discontent over the stringent lockdown, quarantine measures and the invasive way the homes of residents who tested positive were disinfected sparked clashes with police in Shanghai over the past two months. On Thursday, a day after the two-month lockdown ended, Chinese social media was filled with posts complaining about long waits and hassles to get the PCR tests required to access public spaces.
While the number of new local cases have fallen dramatically to just over a dozen a day from a peak of 27,000 in April, apprehension among residents about the possibility of a new wave remain. Some have received official notices over the past two days that a new round of mass laboratory testing will be carried out in their neighborhoods shortly on suspicion of new cases.
Under the existing Covid control policy, the detection of even a single new infection inside any housing or commercial complex raises the risks that the entire building may be shut down with little to no notice.
Li, the resident who staged what he called a peaceful protest, said one person cut a lock on the gate and residents spilled out into the street of the compound near the downtown area. When the police arrived, they took four residents in overnight for questioning, he said.
The police returned the following morning to detain the man who cut the lock. The others were released, but not before they were made sign letters of apology and stand outside the police station in the sun for the whole day, Li said.
The ordeal made him lose faith in the government, question the credibility of the political system and prepare to leave China. While the central government issues vague orders, local leaders mete out the worst punishments for the smallest things, he said.
“It creates the vision of living in a hell.”
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
