The lockdown multiplies hunger and anger in Shanghai

The harsh restrictions in Shanghai to try - without success - to keep COVID infections low have led to an unimaginable situation for many of the inhabitants of the most important city of one of the world's powers: going hungry and not getting food in the 20th century.

The authorities themselves have acknowledged that food shortages have been a disaster caused largely by the lack of planning and coordination of the draconian measures implemented since the end of March.

Promises did not delay, but commodity deliveries have not reached all parts of the city. Although the confinement has gradually been lifted, allowing some exits in some sectors, millions of citizens are still banned from moving.

Steven Jiang, head of CNN's Beijing Office, recounted how difficult the situation has been for his father, who lives in an apartment complex full of pensioners like him in northeast Shanghai. “Most seniors haven't been able to get supplies through bulk purchases over the Internet, pretty much the only way to buy something in Shanghai right now,” he explained.

When he wanted to help him remotely, he confessed that he never imagined it would be so complicated. Finally, he got a delivery for the next day at exorbitant prices: nearly 400 yuan ($62) for just five kilos of vegetables and five dozen eggs.

Even with the relief of filling his father's pantry, Jiang confessed to “survivor's fault”, imagining the situation of countless citizens who don't access a digital shopping app and/or don't have the money to pay those hefty prices.

Under this framework, the figures are not encouraging. This Wednesday, the Municipal Health Commission reported that during the past 24 hours seven other people died from COVID and 18,901 infections have been detected, including 16,407 asymptomatic and 2,494 locally transmitted, as reported by the Chinese news agency Xinhua.

“Literal survival was not a concern for most of Shanghai's 25 million inhabitants before April,” Jiang claimed. Throughout most of the pandemic, the city had remained almost oblivious to major outbreaks of contagion.

But he also pointed out that Chinese propaganda, which points to Ómicron as a potentially lethal threat and insists on defending its Covid-zero policy, puts more energy into criticizing the opposition than on convincing older adults to get vaccinated, since the immunization rate is currently 62%, much lower than in countries developed.

Meanwhile, unrest continues to permeate many inhabitants of China's economic capital, exasperated by the difficulties and forced isolation of positives in random comfort and hygiene quarantine centers.

The zero COVID strategy, consisting of early lockdowns, mass tests and strong border restrictions, has allowed China to maintain low levels of infection compared to most countries, which are now committed to living with the virus.

However, these measures are having an impact on transport and factories, leading authorities to draw up a “white list” of key industries and companies where activity should continue.

More than 600 of these firms are in Shanghai, the country's main economic engine. There is also a factory owned by US giant Tesla, which resumed production on Tuesday after 20 days of suspension, according to local media.

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