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COVID: Shanghai erects metal fences to block streets

Taipei, Taiwan –

Volunteers and government employees in Shanghai have erected metal fences in many districts to block small streets and entrances to apartment complexes, as China strengthens its strict “no COVID” approach. in their biggest city despite growing complaints from residents.

In the city’s Pudong financial district, barricades – thin sheets of metal or mesh fences – have been erected in some neighborhoods at the behest of local authorities, according to Caixin, an economic media outlet. Chinese business. The buildings where the case was found have been sealed off to the main entrance, with a small hole for pandemic prevention workers to pass through.

China reported 21,796 new community infections of COVID-19 on Sunday, with the majority being asymptomatic cases in Shanghai. Across the country, many cities and provinces have implemented some version of lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.

The latest outbreak, caused by the highly contagious variant of Omicron, has spread nationwide, but has been particularly large in Shanghai. The city, a financial hub with 25 million residents, has counted hundreds of thousands of cases but less than 100 deaths since the outbreak broke out nearly two months ago.

An Associated Press examination of the death toll found that despite the narrow history of linking deaths to specific diseases, particularly COVID-19, authorities have changed the way they counted positives, leading to uncertainty in how they arrived at the final death toll. . The result is almost certainly a lower number than the true death toll.

On social media, people posted videos of the new barriers erected on Saturday, with some expressing anger about the measures. Caixin reports that the fences are meant to keep the main roads from being blocked.

In a video verified by the AP, residents leaving a building in Shanghai’s Xuhui district broke down the mesh fence barricade at their entrance and went in search of a security guard they believed was responsible for erecting the fence. it’s up.

Shanghai is using a hierarchical system in which neighborhoods are divided into three categories based on the risk of transmission. Those in the first category face the most stringent COVID-19 control measures and are the primary target of the new enhanced measures. In the third category, some buildings allow people to leave their homes and visit public areas.

In Shanghai, authorities reported 39 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the official death toll to 4,725 as of late Saturday, the National Health Commission said on Sunday.

The city’s closure has drawn global attention for its rigorous approach and sometimes dangerous consequences. Many residents of the city have had difficulty buying groceries, resorting to bartering and buying in bulk. Others were unable to receive adequate medical care in time, due to tight controls on movement.

On Friday, Chinese Internet users shared a six-minute video titled “Voice of April” that captures some of the most difficult public moments the city has experienced during its lengthy shutdown. almost a month. One section has the sound of residents in a Shanghai community, who protested on April 8, shouting: “Send us food! Send us food! Send us food! we!” all together.

The video covered WeChat’s timelines before it was abruptly taken down by censors on Saturday.

Chinese authorities go on to say that the “zero-COVID” strategy is the best way given the low vaccination rate among people over 60 and Omicron will lead to many deaths and severe illness if the country put an end to his strict method.

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Associated Press journalist Penny Wang in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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