Local resident: Shanghai’s lockdown psychologically demanding but worth it

A number of Chinese cities have strictly enforced measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, with many cities experiencing whole or partial shutdowns as ordered by their municipalities. Governments have urged the public to avoid gathering and to quarantine themselves at home, encouraging citizens to limit outdoor activities.

Similar to Macau, Shanghai has also strengthened its measures to contain the novel coronavirus.

Macau resident José Drummond, who is currently affected by the lockdown in Shanghai, remarked that the measure has been effective in reducing the spread of the virus.

The use of masks in public areas in Shanghai has been compulsory for weeks.

“I’ve actually been quarantined for more than 46 days. I’m only leaving home to go for a little walk with my dogs inside my compound. Yesterday, I left [only] for the second time since the lockdown,” Drummond, who is currently based in Shanghai, told the Times.

The Macau resident explained that residential lockdowns are of varying strictness — from checkpoints at building entrances to hard limits on going outdoors.

Drummond further expressed that they can only leave the compound every three days to pick up necessary supplies they have ordered online or wait for the voluntary commission to bring them.

“We still need to arrive before midnight and can’t leave until 6 a.m. There are still disinfection trucks spraying the streets around 5 a.m. Temperature checks are made everywhere,” Drummond added.

Similar to the SAR, Shanghai authorities oblige residents to declare their health status prior to entering governmental departments and office buildings, as well as residential estates.

“The isolation and quarantine… is a hardship. We’ve been enduring but the results seem, for now, to be satisfactory. Socially and psychological demanding — no doubt about it — but at the same time I believe everyone feels safer this way,” he said.

Meanwhile, amid China’s drastic efforts to contain the virus, racism and misinformation circulating around the internet has been growing as global anxiety continues to increase.

Chinese people were reported to have been randomly attacked on public streets in the West, with some aggressors calling on these people to go back to their hometown. However, it does not stop there, as photos featuring people of Chinese ethnicity with jokes about the coronavirus have been circulating since the outbreak began in late December.

Drummond – who has experienced first-hand how it feels to be in lockdown – has expressed his disappointment about how photos are used to make fun and mock the panic felt by others.

“In my perspective, this is one sign of prejudice — a growing western tendency of generalized racism towards Asian people. There’s nothing funny in these pictures. There’s only drama and trauma,” Drummond further commented.

“There’s too much misinformation and conspiracy theories on the internet. […] To downplay the situation and think that for some reason we’re invincible is dangerous,” he added.

Furthermore, with the global outbreak in the West continuing to rise, Drummond believes that there is a slow response from western countries to adopt measures akin to those already in place in China.

For him, people in the West seem to forget that the virus spreads quickly and that health systems in other countries may not be prepared to handle the scale of the situation to come.