Reporter’s diary: life has come to a never-ending standstill in Shanghai but tech helping amid Covid-19 lockdowns
- This time the lockdown is wider, and people are having to fend off all kinds of negative news
- Group buying, supplies from companies and the local government, and connecting with others via the internet have all helped
The view from my window in Shanghai still seems surreal, even after 20 days of lockdown.
Sitting by the window is my new routine – I can stare at the empty street, feel the wind rattling against the glass and hear the birds singing. This Chinese mega-city, where traffic jams used to clog the streets until midnight, has never been so quiet, with only the occasional cat and food courier driving an electric vehicle to be seen.
After three weeks of lockdown, there are still no signs of a relaxation in anti-epidemic measures. The city reported more than 17,600 cases on Friday, far away from China’s ‘dynamic zero-Covid’ goal.
I’m not a novice when it comes to quarantines, having been through two 14-day isolation periods last year. But the current lockdown is a totally different experience to hotel quarantine. This time the lockdown is wider, and people are having to fend off all kinds of negative news. Medical resources, for example, are depleted. A person I know has been unable to receive her kidney dialysis treatment, and she cried over the phone. I almost cried too because I am unable to help her.
Most residents did not expect an initial four-day lockdown to be extended indefinitely. A friend told me that he relied on instant noodles and bread for a week before deciding to organise group buying for his community. “I can’t work until I fix my food problem,” he said.