Opinion | Shanghai's battle with Omicron showcases the city's resilience under the Communist Party of China

By Augustus K. Yeung

INTRODUCTION

"Daily life in Shanghai has ground to a halt as parts of the city's social services collapsed under the weight of a strict citywide COVID-19 lockdown that is stretching into a second month." Reported THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (Friday, April 29).

Fortunately, however, new COVID-19 cases in Shanghai fell from the third consecutive day to the lowest in three weeks as the anti-pandemic focus shifted to Beijing.

New infections dropped 12.7 per cent in Shanghai to 16,980, while cases with symptoms declined by about a third to 1,661 and fatalities reached 52. (Tuesday, April 26). That raised the total infections to 522,000 since March 1 in the city of 25 million residents. Severe cases climbed to 259 from the 196 reported on Monday, while the number of patients in critical condition rose from 19 to 28.

Shanghai's Battle with Omicron Speaks Volumes

Shanghai's battle with Omicron, almost two months long, offers valuable lessons for Beijing's nearly 22 million residents, who have already begun hoarding food and essential supplies in anticipation of a citywide lockdown.

The government "must keep in touch with companies to help them solve problems" that stand in the way of their resumption of operations, Shanghai's government said in a statement, quoting the city's Communist Party Secretary Li Qiang during a tour of Baowu Steel Group, the country's largest steel producer which is based in Shanghai.

"More support should be given to companies so that they can concentrate on production with an effective way of guarding against the virus," Li said.

Shanghai identified 666 key manufacturers last week – from electric car maker Tesla to chip maker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation – that were eligible to resume operations under so-called closed loops, where workers had to sleep on-site to maintain zero contact with outsiders.

Nationwide, new cases fell 12.2 per cent to 17,724 yesterday.

A Citywide Standstill Order Curbs the Movements of Medical Staff…

Shanghai, the epicenter for the disease since March 1, has recorded 190 fatalities, almost all of whom were unvaccinated, elderly residents – 82.5 years old on average – with underlying medical ailments such as cancer and heart disease.

Authorities have been taking no chances, ordering more than half dozen rounds of citywide mass tests to find the transmission chains. Tests were conducted yesterday, the latest round.

A total of 217 cases were detected in unguarded zones on Monday, unchanged from a day earlier.

A citywide standstill order, known as "static management," was expected to end yesterday. The order curbs the movements of medical staff, health officials, delivery couriers and community volunteers in unguarded zones.

Shanghai had hoped to achieve a societal zero-Covid goal by April 20, bringing new infections in unguarded zone – or low-risk residential compounds and their surroundings – to zero before shifting its focus to prevent the disease from spilling into the community.

"Chances are slim for a lifting of the lockdown before the societal zero-Covid goal is achieved," Meng Tianying, a senior executive at Shanghai-based consultancy Domo Medical said.

"It is difficult to predict when the goal can be achieved because the Omicron is not easy to contain."

Some 14,812 Covid-19 patients were released from hospitals and quarantine sites on Monday, Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the Shanghai health commission, said at a press briefing yesterday, raising the total to about 265,000.

This amounts to 50.8 per cent of the city's total infection during the current wave. (Source: "Focus on Beijing as Shanghai cases fall". SCMP. Wednesday, April 27, 2022)

CONCLUSION

The almost 2-month lockdown in Shanghai, has become a controversy, with West media making critical remarks and raising ideological issues. Much to the world's surprise, Shanghai shows its resilience under China's central and local government leaderships as well as the city's dedicated army of civilian volunteers.

Especially, young and educated citizens have stepped up to fill the breach. Volunteers, some of them engineers and programmers at China's technology firms, have built an array of apps, databases and networks to help provide disaster relief and information on medical care, even pet shelters, how to cook with limited ingredients and other essential information. That is helping keep the city of 25 million afloat as some hospitals and public transportation are inaccessible and people remain locked in their homes.

Many people are relying on the efforts of volunteers like Hua Rongqi, a 21-year-old Shanghai college student who created a public accessible database connecting patients with various medical needs to local community workers and hospitals.

I remember when the first wave of Covid-19 hit New York City, the overworked medical doctors wrote letters to their loved ones. That was the city's most touching human story. But there was no mention of volunteers of citizens organizing themselves that went to assist the ones in great need of help.

In an attempt of national solidarity, the volunteers in Shanghai worked closely with the Communist Party of China, determined to fight a battle they were hopeful to win.

The author is a freelance writer; formerly Adjunct Lecturer, taught MBA Philosophy of Management, and International Strategy, and online columnist of 3-D Corner (HKU SPACE), University of Hong Kong.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.

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