Profiles
The apocalyptic scenes from Shanghai this past week — a city of 26 million in full lockdown, empty streets, residents confined to apartments, widespread complaints of food shortages, COVID positive children taken away from parents — were for the rest of the world reminiscent of 2020 and the height of the pandemic. Since then, much of the world has emerged from months of lockdowns and, by vaccinating their populations, has come to live with the virus.
Not so China, the only country in the world still holding on to its “zero COVID” strategy, despite vaccinating much of its population. On April 8, China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said most of the more than 100,000 recent cases in Shanghai, which remains in complete lockdown, were mild. Regardless, even asymptomatic cases have been forced to stay in massive central quarantine facilities. Children who tested positive were taken away from their parents, prompting a nationwide outcry. Those confined to their homes are struggling to get enough fresh vegetables to feed their families and relying on government supplies.
