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Coronavirus pandemic
ChinaScience

In countdown to Covid-19 lockdown, Shenzhen residents stockpile food – and some point finger of blame at Hong Kong

  • Public transport has been suspended and restrictions placed on movement as the city of 17 million tries to contain its outbreak
  • Some people on social media have expressed anger at neighbouring Hong Kong and blamed illegal border crossing for the surge in cases

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Many Shenzhen residents stocked up on food. Photo: Handout
Phoebe Zhang

Shenzhen residents raced to stock up on supplies on Sunday, causing long queues in supermarkets and traffic jams on some streets.

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Others rushed to grab equipment from their offices so they could continue to work from home as the city of 17 million people in southern China went into lockdown to try to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Some people on social media pointed the finger at neighbouring Hong Kong, which is battling its own surge in cases, blaming illegal border crossings for spreading the infection and calling for the border to be closed.

On Sunday night, the southern Chinese tech hub announced the heaviest restrictions since 2020 when the coronavirus first struck. All subway and bus services are halted and movement in communities is restricted.

Three rounds of citywide mass screening will also be conducted. The neighbouring industrial city of Dongguan also followed up with similar measures on Monday.

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On Monday, Shenzhen reported 75 confirmed local cases and 26 imported cases, 24 of them from Hong Kong, while mainland China logged a total of 1,437 confirmed cases. This followed 60 confirmed cases and another six asymptomatic patients announced on the previous day.

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