{"id":433816,"date":"2022-04-19T05:41:54","date_gmt":"2022-04-19T02:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/i-live-in-locked-down-shanghai-heres-what-life-is-like\/"},"modified":"2022-04-19T05:41:54","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T02:41:54","slug":"i-live-in-locked-down-shanghai-heres-what-life-is-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/i-live-in-locked-down-shanghai-heres-what-life-is-like\/","title":{"rendered":"#I live in locked-down Shanghai \u2014 here\u2019s what life is like"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a412bd4b2a69\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a412bd4b2a69\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/i-live-in-locked-down-shanghai-heres-what-life-is-like\/#%E2%80%9CI_live_in_locked-down_Shanghai_%E2%80%94_heres_what_life_is_like%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;I live in locked-down Shanghai \u2014 here\u2019s what life is like&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/i-live-in-locked-down-shanghai-heres-what-life-is-like\/#Surreal_atmosphere\" >Surreal atmosphere<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/i-live-in-locked-down-shanghai-heres-what-life-is-like\/#Its_politics\" >It\u2019s politics<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CI_live_in_locked-down_Shanghai_%E2%80%94_heres_what_life_is_like%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;I live in locked-down Shanghai \u2014 here\u2019s what life is like&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>After two years of mostly COVID-free existence, Shanghai \u2014 China\u2019s biggest and most modern metropolis \u2014 has ground to a screeching halt. What\u2019s absolutely stunning to me as a long-term foreign resident of the city is how much harsher the restrictions are compared with those put in place to tackle the original outbreak back in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>When the original outbreak first reached the city from Wuhan, central China, our \u201clockdown\u201d was barely that. You could leave your apartment whenever you wanted and head to the grocery store, go for a walk or even take the subway into town. Malls, restaurants, movie theaters, bars, clubs were all shuttered, but you could move freely.<\/p>\n<p>People didn\u2019t, though \u2014 because in January 2020 even the experts didn\u2019t know what they were dealing with. So folks stayed home out of a genuine fear. There was no need to force anyone to stay grounded. People only went out to get essentials. It was a weird time, but it was brought under control in China reasonably quickly, and we were back in the office after barely a month.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-162.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"The government says it is doing it to protect elderly people who for whatever reason are not yet vaccinated.\" class=\"wp-image-21950035\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-162.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-162.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-162.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The government plans to do whatever to protect their residents, especially elderly people. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AFP via Getty Images\/ Liu Jin<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Surreal_atmosphere\"><\/span>Surreal atmosphere<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This time around, what is going on is just utterly unbelievable. Despite high vaccination rates and a weaker variant of the virus at large, the restrictions are way tougher this time.<br \/>I\u2019ve been locked in my apartment with my wife and kid for more than a month, and I have had to take more than 20 COVID tests during this time. Government health workers <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear in white suits every other day, and neighborhood wardens use megaphones to summon everyone outside to take their tests.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s more than 1,000 people living in my complex \u2014 and everyone complies. Chinese people in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> are pretty obedient. Privately, many Chinese friends tell me they don\u2019t like the procedure and lockdown but believe going along with it is the quickest way back to normality.<\/p>\n<p>Almost all apartments in Shanghai are in gated compounds, so it\u2019s pretty easy to keep people corralled as there are walls all around. I used to think this was a good thing in general as it was secure \u2014 until I saw the huge steel mesh wire fence being bolted into the ground in front of the entrance at the beginning of lockdown, physically sealing us in. Talk about a sense of foreboding. Now we can\u2019t even get outside except for COVID tests or to pick up food deliveries, which are passed up over the fence. That\u2019s if food arrives.<\/p>\n<p>Things have eased off this week, but last week we had serious problems ordering food online and were surviving on government handouts. The lockdown meant most delivery drivers weren\u2019t working. So there was plenty of food, but we couldn\u2019t get our hands on it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-160.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Shanghai, China\" class=\"wp-image-21950033\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-160.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-160.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-160.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Shanghai is China\u2019s biggest and most modern metropolis.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">ZUMAPRESS.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-164.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Workers in protective suits stand on a street during a lockdown\" class=\"wp-image-21950037\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-164.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-164.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-164.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Workers in protective suits stand on a street during a lockdown, amid the coronavirus disease  pandemic, in Shanghai, China, Apr. 16, 2022. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Reuters\/Aly Song<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We weren\u2019t alone: My <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> were full of angry, sad and bewildered Chinese friends asking where their next meal would come from. In one of the most modern connected cities in the world used to being able to order anything online and have it turn up on their doorstep soon after, this was nothing short of traumatic.<\/p>\n<p>Seeing open criticism of the government was also quite stunning as it\u2019s something that just never happens. It all added up to a surreal atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also fear this time around \u2014 not of the virus itself but of testing positive. If you do, you\u2019ll be taken away to a makeshift \u201chospital\u201d where the lights may be on 24\/7 and there are no showers. You\u2019ll be isolated from the outside world and not let out until you test negative four or five times.<\/p>\n<p>Understandably, nobody wants to end up in one of these places, and there\u2019s been more than a few viral videos passed around of people being dragged kicking and screaming from their apartments.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_politics\"><\/span>It\u2019s politics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So why is China locking down its biggest city and financial and business capital? It\u2019s politics. The government says it is doing it to protect elderly people who for whatever reason are not yet vaccinated.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-161.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Community volunteers wearing personal protective equipment guide residents queuing to get tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus in a compound during a Covid-19 lockdown in Pudong district in Shanghai on Apr. 17, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-21950034\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-161.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-161.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-161.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The lockdown restrictions are stricter than the original coronavirus outbreak.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But it prompts the question: Why can\u2019t a city that can test 26 million people in one day not get around to vaccinating everyone who needs it after nearly 18 months of having a vaccine that may not be the best but is shown to prevent death and serious illness?<br \/>This year, Xi Jinping is seeking a record-breaking (literally, as Chinese presidents are supposed to be limited to 10 years in power) extra five years. For him, COVID-zero is a surefire way to demonstrate not only his own success but how the Chinese system is superior to the West.<\/p>\n<p>Before Omicron, his plan was going along well, in fact too well. The Chinese basked in their hard-won success against previous variants and got complacent \u2014 thinking they could keep COVID at bay indefinitely and use it as a convenient stick to beat the West with. However, Omicron\u2019s amazing infectiousness means that it\u2019s broken through in Shanghai, and the government is in panic mode.<\/p>\n<p>A lockdown of the city is the end result, and absolutely nothing can be allowed to stand in the way of Xi Jinping\u2019s quest to be president for life.<\/p>\n<p><em>William Forbes is a pseudonym, for fear of reprisals to him and his family in China, where he has lived for more than a decade.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/04\/18\/i-live-in-locked-down-shanghai-heres-what-life-is-like\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I live in locked-down Shanghai \u2014 here\u2019s what life is like&#8221; After two years of mostly COVID-free existence, Shanghai \u2014 China\u2019s biggest and most modern metropolis \u2014 has ground to a screeching halt. What\u2019s absolutely stunning to me as a long-term foreign resident of the city is how much harsher the restrictions are compared with&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":433817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/xi-shanghai-index.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[128146,4973,1545,81175,71663],"class_list":["post-433816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-18-22","tag-china","tag-coronavirus","tag-shanghai","tag-xi-jinping"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}