Shanghai .. a city divided in half to try to beat the pandemic

Shanghai – AFP
Chinese engineer Terry lives in the eastern half of Shanghai, which has been under lockdown since Monday, to counter the worst outbreak of the “Covid-19” epidemic, and plays electronic games to pass the time, while across the Huangpu River that divides the city, Maria takes advantage of her freedom to dine outside, Before closing your western half starting Friday.
Shanghai, China’s economic engine and its largest city with a population of 25 million, has been split in half as authorities try new ways to control a virus that is an unprecedented challenge to the country.
The city is now the worst epicenter of “Covid-19” in two years, and it recorded, on Wednesday, about six thousand cases of the epidemic with the progression of the mutant “Omicron”, which shook the “zero Covid” strategy adopted by China to eliminate the foci wherever they appear. From New York and London to Bangkok and Tokyo, many major cities are beginning to lift health restrictions as they are learning to live with the virus.
But unlike it, Shanghai has imposed a lockdown, albeit in two phases, with authorities testing all residents and ordering them not to leave their homes.
“I can’t leave the house, I can’t buy groceries, I can’t go out with friends,” Terry, who works for a state company, said using his English name from his apartment in Pudong.
Lockdown measures went into effect in Pudong on Monday, after weeks of local lockdowns in which cases of the virus appeared. But even if Pudong reopens as planned on Friday, the city appears far from overcoming the virus. Terry said that the uncertainty affects negatively, explaining: “I am bored and my spirits are low. I spent a lot of time indoors and could only watch TV, read books and play video games.”
“Enjoy every moment”
In Puxi, the city’s most populous historic centre, this week nightlife fans gathered outdoors ahead of Friday’s scheduled shutdown.
“I went out to dinner yesterday,” said Maria, an American who lives in the city.
“I’m trying to do different things to maintain my mental health before the shutdown, which will last at least five days, and I won’t be able to leave the compound where I live,” she added. Shanghai authorities have tried to limit the economic impact of repeated shutdowns, offering tax breaks and exemptions for small businesses.
But financial firms are taking control across the city, with reports of employees living in offices during the lockdown. “I brought blankets and clothes to the office,” said analyst Xian Shimin of the Xinwan Hongyuan Group, a brokerage. Many residents are optimistic in the face of the new closure, considering it a necessary evil after weeks of targeted measures with limited success.
Elsewhere, frustration with China’s hard-line approach to fighting the virus spreads, as empty shelves in stores show the anxiety of residents scrambling for fresh food, and scathing comments grow on social media.
One Weibo user wrote this week: “The whole world is back on the right track. We are the only country still awaiting the specter of 2019 and still living with it.”