A roundup of updates from Shanghai under lockdown
Today: A new daily record of infections, around 6,700 patients discharged, leaking hospital roofs, and more.
The 2022 Shanghai COVID lockdown began on March 28. Today we begin an ongoing record of news from the city, which we’ll continue to publish daily as long as the crisis continues:
A new daily record: The number of new daily infections registered in Shanghai hit a record 26,330 on Tuesday. Of those cases, 1,189 had symptoms and 25,141 were asymptomatic. That’s up from the total of 23,342 reported for Monday April 11, and up from the previous all-time high of 26,087 on Sunday.
On the bright side: Around 6,700 recovered COVID-19 patients were discharged from central facilities on Tuesday, and health authorities emphasized that they must return home directly for medical observation. Meanwhile, about 6.6 million residents in Shanghai — roughly a quarter of the city’s entire population — were allowed to leave their apartments on Tuesday, but they were restricted to their own neighborhoods.
Roof leaks at makeshift hospitals: In addition to food scarcity and broken toilets, another problem with many of the hastily constructed isolation facilities in Shanghai emerged yesterday when a heavy rainfall pounded the city. Online videos show that the roofs were leaking at multiple locations, and one of them completely collapsed amid the rain.
Strict censorship: As part of its campaign to “combat rumors about the outbreak,” internet regulators said (in Chinese) today that they had shuttered six online groups for “spreading false news” about things like “anti-epidemic workers sleeping in paper boxes” and “government officials price gouging supplies.” The authorities also said that several WeChat accounts had been punished and a total of 13 people had received administrative penalties or were under investigation for “making up and spreading false rumors.”
Eight cities are trying out reduced quarantine for overseas travelers: Per Caixin, China has selected Shanghai, Guangzhou, and six other pilot cities for a new quarantine policy for international arrivals, which requires them to undergo 10 days of quarantine in a designated facility, followed by seven days of self-monitoring at home.
Previously, travelers flying into China had to spend 14 days in a designated facility, followed by seven days in strict at-home quarantine and another seven days of self-monitoring. The program started on Monday and will run for a month.
Also see:
COVID lockdowns in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and around country
