Endless lockdown: Shanghai is still locked down

The streets of Shanghai are still largely empty. The only people who can move around the city normally are the police, healthcare workers and couriers who deliver groceries. But for the past week, there have also been some slight relaxations for part of the population: in certain districts, for example, one person per household is authorized to leave the residential area for a few hours.

Minimal freedom

This also applies to Smid: “And then it feels good to walk around the neighborhood again after two months of isolation. But in our case, it’s only three hours, then a maximum of twice in ten days. terrace there is no packaging, because there is absolutely nothing open.”

The city is sticking to this strict policy because it fears further outbreaks. According to the Shanghai Municipality, a handful of new infections are being added every day. But this is still not enough to reopen residential complexes, shops and restaurants.

In practice, it is mostly the chiefs of the sub-districts who lock things up, explains Smid: “They are terrified of epidemics in their district. They are judged on that. So it is better that they do not take any risk and keep the case locked.”

Protests escalate

And this leads to great frustration among the inhabitants. Many small-scale protests take place in the city almost every day. Bloomberg news agency reported this week that employees of an Apple supplier who had been at the factory for two months clashed with security guards. The inhabitants are also making themselves heard individually: on social networks or via protest signs, they let them know that they are fed up with the situation.

But the discontent goes deeper than small-scale protests: Many people are simply fed up with Shanghai, or even China, and are choosing to rush. A recent survey showed that a majority of expats planned to leave because of the lockdown.

But many Chinese also prefer to leave today than tomorrow: when some train connections to Shanghai were restored this week, a mass departure began that continues to this day.

Smid: “You see and hear it all around you. Many people are tired of Shanghai. They thought they were living in the most modern city in China, with all the conveniences and the comfortable lifestyle that goes with it. But containment has this idea… torn to pieces. Its harshness, its ruthless policy towards man and animal, it has left a deep wound.”

Psychological damage

According to experts, the psychological damage is enormous. According to a recent survey, no less than 40% of the population of 26 million people suffer from symptoms of depression.

This depression is also partly caused by the economic uncertainty that confinement brings. Smid: “I also see a lot of people around me who simply can’t earn any more money because of the lockdown. People who, for example, work in small businesses or are self-employed. For many, staying at the house means a significant loss of income.”

State media paints a rosy picture

At the same time, China’s state media is trying to make the situation rosier than it is: news of a slow return to normalcy is being aired in a pleasant tone on TV and online. Smid: “The funny thing is that as a resident you hardly notice it.”