The elderly woman slouched in a chair in Shanghai's cool spring weather as her three companions squabbled with police and others clad in white biohazard suits, the only people visible on a street emptied by the COVID-19 lockdown.
"She has had a fever for a few days now!" exclaimed one, gesturing to the woman. The people in the hazmat suits stood at least three metres away.About an hour later, one of her male companions fed the woman the contents of a medicine sachet provided by the suited workers. A close-up photo showed it was Lianhua Qingwen, a traditional Chinese remedy that China recommends for treating COVID-19.
The episode on Tuesday, which Reuters witnessed and which lasted more than two hours, is a snapshot of life in China's most populous but now largely silent city, which has put draconian lockdown curbs on its residents in a bid to stamp out its monthlong COVID outbreak. But many say local authorities are struggling to carry out that mission given the size of the city. Complaints include unclear guidance on what to do if a person tests positive, long waits to enter central quarantine centres, and crowded and unsanitary conditions for some once they get there.
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