The city lockdown for Covid was extended indefinitely earlier this week after staggered restrictions failed to curb infections. City officials had promised that the staggered lockdown would end on April 5, leaving many residents of the Chinese capital unprepared to stay home indefinitely. Despite the strict measures, the cases in Shanghai continue to increase as the mandatory examinations continue. The city reported 20,398 new infections on Friday, 824 of which were accidental. Disappointed cries for help are circulating on Weibo, China’s microblogging platform, where residents are protesting food shortages and random lockdown measures. “No matter where you live, whether you have money or not, you have to worry about what else you can eat and how you can buy things,” a commenter wrote Thursday. “Do you want to starve the people of Baoshan?” wrote a resident of the suburban area, complaining of lack of food. There were also indications that volunteer doctors who have been transported to the city to help fight the pandemic are struggling to access food themselves. “Are the supplies only for Shanghai locals? “As a foreigner, I can volunteer, but why aren’t we given the goods and supplies?” a female medical volunteer cries in a video on Douyin, China’s TikTok-like platform. A video posted on social media, but not verified, shows a man screaming on the phone at authorities, saying he was starving to death. Drones flew into the city sky earlier this week, he showed videos on Chinese social media, warning people protesting on their balconies to stay indoors. As seen on Weibo: Shanghai residents go to their balconies to sing and protest the lack of supplies. A drone appears: “Please comply with Covid restrictions. Control your soul’s desire for freedom. “Do not open the window and do not sing.” pic.twitter.com/pAnEGOlBIh – Alice Su (@aliceysu) April 6, 2022 Rising cries for help are also a cause for concern in other parts of the country. “Every day when I wake up and check Weibo, it’s either a post shouting for help or an insulting post about not being able to eat. “No one would have thought that in 2022 there would be a severe food shortage in Shanghai,” a Weibo user from Ningbo, south of Zhejiang Province, wrote on Thursday. Rights observers have also expressed growing concern. “The use of the word ‘lock’ can be quite inaccurate when used in China compared to the rest of the world,” said Maya Wang, a senior fellow at Human Rights Watch, adding that she did not fully disclose the seriousness of the situation. Residents of the media have turned to groups to buy bulk supplies, but access to these boulevards is beyond the reach of the most vulnerable. “If you are poor or disabled or elderly, you may often be excluded from these resources or unaware of them. The consequences could be devastating, “said Wang, commenting on reports that some elderly people died during the lockdown as they were unable to access vital medicines. The severe lockdown in the cosmopolitan city of 26 million is the biggest challenge to China’s strict “zero zero” policy on Covid. Analysts say any easing of restrictions will be unlikely in the run-up to the party’s 20th national congress in November, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to run for another five-year term.
