Shanghai reports daily high of 39 deaths amid lockdown

SHANGHAI • Shanghai reported 39 Covid-19 deaths yesterday, its highest daily toll despite weeks of lockdowns as the authorities erected fences outside some residential buildings, sparking a fresh public outcry over a lockdown that has forced much of the city's 25 million people indoors.

Images of white hazmat suit-clad workers sealing entrances of housing blocks and closing off entire streets with roughly 2m-tall green fencing went viral on social media, prompting questions and complaints from residents.

The world's second-largest economy has been struggling to stamp out its worst outbreak in two years with a playbook of harsh lockdowns and mass testing as it sticks to a strict zero-Covid-19 policy, taking a heavy toll on businesses and public morale.

Beijing is also on alert, with 22 more infections reported, after warnings from an official on Saturday that the city must take urgent action.

Shanghai, China's biggest city, has been almost entirely locked down since the start of the month, snarling supply chains.

It announced its first fatalities from the outbreak only last Monday, despite reporting thousands of cases each day in recent weeks.

It reported 39 more deaths yesterday, National Health Commission data showed, bringing its total toll to 87, while the country logged nearly 22,000 new local virus cases.

Shanghai's previous highest daily toll since the lockdown was 12, reported a day earlier.

The city has struggled to provide fresh food to those confined at home, while patients have reported trouble accessing regular medical care as thousands of health staff were deployed for Covid-19 testing and treatment.

In the past week, the authorities have also transferred entire communities, including uninfected people, saying they need to disinfect their homes, according to residents and social media posts.

Health officials have warned of the particular risks of Covid-19 to the country's older and largely unvaccinated population, saying the average age among fatalities in Shanghai's outbreak was 81.

Five of those who died had been vaccinated, though the authorities have said the deaths were of people who had severe underlying diseases and who were in critical condition.

Censors have battled to scrub an online backlash against the prolonged lockdown in Shanghai, including the rapid censorship of a viral video by residents outlining their daily challenges to get food and access essential services.

Residents are using euphemisms and other means to dodge the censors.

Videos of Do You Hear The People Sing?, a protest anthem from Les Miserables, have been widely reposted, with the title of the French musical receiving more than 90 million mentions on WeChat on Saturday, the chat app's data showed.

On Saturday evening, a residential building fire sparked fear and criticism on social media, given that many exits in compounds have generally been sealed as part of Covid-19 controls.

"This is so disrespectful of the rights of the people inside, using metal barriers to enclose them like domestic animals," said one user on social media platform Weibo.

One video showed residents shouting from balconies at workers trying to set up fencing in Shanghai before relenting and taking it away. Other videos showed people trying to pull fences down.

"Isn't this a fire hazard?" asked another Weibo user.

Many of the fences were erected around compounds designated as "sealed areas" - buildings where at least one person tested positive for Covid-19, meaning residents cannot leave.

It was not clear what prompted the authorities to resort to fencing. A notice dated Saturday from one local authority shared online said it was imposing "hard quarantine" in some areas.

Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the notice or all of the images, but saw green fencing on a street in central Shanghai yesterday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS