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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Abigail O'Leary

Angry mob breaks down barrier for food in world's strictest lockdown in China

Crowds of people smashed through a cordon in a desperate bid for supplies amid the world's strictest lockdown.

Footage shows masses of people racing for food and medical supplies, as 26 million people face lockdown with China once again gripped by a wave of Covid spreading through the population.

People could be seen pushing towards a dismantled barrier and forcing themselves past officials dressed in PPE.

The clip was filmed in Changzhou, Jiangsu, near Shanghai.

Helpless officials can be seen desperately trying to block the crowds by re-erecting the gate as crowds continue to push through the barricade.

Footage of the incident was posted to Twitter and captioned: "Food riot in shanghai—china’s largest and wealthiest city—under covid lockdown."

Residents in Shanghai have been confined to their homes once again, with government telling people they cannot leave home even to get food.

Other videos circulating appear to show crowds raiding supermarkets as the strict lockdown has left millions hungry at home without food.

The draconian rules enraging the people of China's largest city include a 22-hour lockdown - with locals forced to stay inside all day apart from a two-hour window when they can collect food and supplies.

Officials have also been separating infected babies and children under seven from their parents to prevent the virus being spread within the family unit.

But the strict measures are doing little to improve surging rates of Omicron in the city - with 23,600 new cases reported by state media on Friday.

Deserted highways during a lockdown due to Covid-19 in Shanghai, China (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

One American expat tweeted about the restrictive measures.

Lawyer Jared T. Nelson said only two people from an apartment are allowed to leave for just two hours each day to collect food parcels. While outside they must wear full protective white suits.

Calling the conditions of the quarantine centres "awful", Mr Nelson tweeted: "No showers, portable toilets only, no hot water, and of course no privacy."

He added that there are regular cancellations and that the situation is becoming worse.

Shanghai's commerce commission department Gu Jun acknowledged the city is facing issues in distributing food supplies.

Residents queue for Covid nucleic acid tests at a gated community after Shanghai imposed a citywide lockdown (VCG via Getty Images)

He called for distribution centres, supermarkets, and pharmacies to take a fulfill orders online as much as possible.

E-commerce company JD.com Inc said on Saturday it had obtained a licence to deliver goods into Shanghai and hosted a livestreaming sales session joined by more than 3.5 million people.

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