Opinion | China to enter an era of snap lockdowns after Shanghai’s failed Omicron experience

If everything goes as planned, Shanghai will successfully bring the current wave under control in the coming weeks, but the question being asked is ‘what’s next?’

China could enter a period of frequent and localised lockdowns, but if brief and confined to a specific district or county, the rest of the country won’t be affected

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A patient who recovered from Covid-19 is disinfected as he leaves a makeshift hospital in Shanghai, April 9, 2022. Photo: Xinhua via AP

Published: 7:00am, 12 Apr 2022

The ongoing lockdown in Shanghai looks puzzling on the surface.

On the one hand, official data shows that the Omicron Covid-19 variant has done very little, if any, damage to human health as there’s only one reported serious illness and zero deaths.

On the other hand, the draconian measures – with the stated purpose of protecting life and health in the city – have created numerous cases of human suffering, even if economic losses are not calculated.

If everything goes as planned, Shanghai will successfully bring the current wave under control in the coming weeks. But “what’s next?” remains a question. Shanghai may follow in the footsteps of Shenzhen and make nucleic testing a part of residents’ daily routine for an indefinite period.

The Shanghai experience in handling Omicron will have nationwide implications. The city’s attempts in the early days to avoid a citywide lockdown and massive testing are now seen as a total failure technically, and even politically.

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