Shanghai lockdown: residents flaunt wealth by hanging luxury branded shopping bags on doors to collect Covid-19 tests

City workers delivered rapid antigen tests to millions of residents during a recent mass test in Shanghai

Some residents used the opportunity to flash some wealth and hang shopping bags from luxury brands on their doors

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Shanghai residents hung paper shopping bags from expensive brands to collect their Covid-19 tests. Photo: SCMP composite

Published: 6:00pm, 21 Apr 2022Updated: 1:18pm, 31 May 2022

Despite being stuck in at-home quarantine for weeks, wealthy and fashion-conscious people in Shanghai found a novel way to flaunt their wealth and status: hang luxury branded paper bags outside their homes to collect Covid-19 test kits and other daily deliveries.

On April 3, Shanghai conducted a citywide Covid-19 test using rapid antigen tests (RATs) that were delivered to every home in the city by pandemic prevention workers. To prevent human-to-human contact that could transmit the virus, people hung bags outside their homes that could be used as a drop-off point to collect the test kits.

This, in turn, became an opportunity to flaunt some wealth, as any bag would work perfectly fine. Residents began finding paper bags printed with the logos of luxury brands like Burberry, Prada, Louis Vuitton and Chanel.

Aside from the luxury brands’ paper bags, some people also displayed the national brands they love. For example, a picture of a bag of Mao-tai, a well-known fiery baijiu brand, drew attention.

A medical worker prepares a Covid-19 test in Shanghai. Photo: EPA-EFE

A photo collage of the bags went viral across China’s social media platforms, with mixed reactions. Some people found it to be an amusing way to lighten the mood during the lockdown, while others said it revealed indifference to the crisis.

“It was just for fun after being quarantined at home for over 20 days,” one person wrote.

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Shanghai lockdown: residents flaunt wealth by hanging luxury branded shopping bags on doors to collect Covid-19 tests

City workers delivered rapid antigen tests to millions of residents during a recent mass test in Shanghai Some residents used the opportunity to flash some wealth and hang shopping bags from luxury brands on their doors

City workers delivered rapid antigen tests to millions of residents during a recent mass test in Shanghai

Some residents used the opportunity to flash some wealth and hang shopping bags from luxury brands on their doors