Chinese authorities on Tuesday extended the lockdown in Shanghai to the entire city, the largest in China, with a population of about 25 million, due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Previously, the ban on residents from not leaving the area in which they lived was valid only for the eastern and western regions of the city.
This measure is not new in China, which has adopted a zero-tolerance policy when recording new outbreaks of Covid-19 in the country, but the strategy adopted by the Chinese government has drawn attention in this case.
Posts on the social network Weibo show drones beaming sound to instruct residents not to go to their apartment balconies to sing and protest against the lack of food and other supplies, a frequent complaint even before the lockdown was extended.
Please comply with the restrictions imposed by Covid-19. Control your soul’s desire for freedom. Don’t open the window or sing,” reads the message carried by the drone. According to reports, robotic dogs will also be used to call for obedience to the lockdown and take measures such as washing hands and wearing masks.
In addition to the lack of groceries, another complaint made on social media is that children with Covid-19 are being separated from their parents and placed in quarantine in clinics.
Xinhua reported on Wednesday that 13,354 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Shanghai on Monday, bringing the total number of local cases to more than 73,000 in the latest outbreak.
According to the agency, about 47,700 beds have been established to treat the disease in temporary hospitals, and another 30,000 beds are being prepared.
