# In Shanghai, lockdown blues make way for COVID testing gripes
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-06-02
Category: NEWS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news
Meta Title: Shanghai Residents Face COVID-19 Testing Nightmare
Meta Description: Residents in Shanghai are experiencing long waits for COVID-19 tests, required to enter public spaces after lockdown. Authorities aim to resolve issues.
URL: https://financedigest.com/in-shanghai-lockdown-blues-make-way-for-covid-testing-gripeshtml

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By Brenda Goh and Andrew Galbraith

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Shanghai residents’ relief over the easing of a two-month COVID-19 lockdown is giving way to frustration as they face hours waiting in line for virus tests and must show negative results to be permitted to enter public spaces.

China’s biggest city and business hub lifted lockdowns for most of its 25 million residents on Wednesday. But citizens are required to have proof they have taken a [COVID test](https://www.financedigest.com/china-arrivals-in-uk-next-week-will-not-face-compulsory-covid-tests-independent.html "China arrivals in UK next week will not face compulsory COVID tests -Independent") within the last 72 hours in order to enter areas like malls and offices – or even to use subways and buses.

Authorities have built 15,000 testing sites and trained [thousands of workers](https://www.financedigest.com/thousands-of-british-postal-workers-walk-out-over-pay.html "Thousands of British postal workers walk out over pay") to swab throats. Still, long queues amid early summer heat became a common sight on Wednesday and Thursday, with some [people saying](https://www.financedigest.com/australia-says-it-has-evacuated-26-people-from-afghanistan-in-first-flight.html "Australia says it has evacuated 26 people from Afghanistan in first flight") they queued for two hours.

One picture [posted on social media showed a sign at a booth warning](https://www.financedigest.com/deutsche-post-raises-annual-dividend-warns-of-challenging-2023.html "Deutsche Post raises annual dividend; warns of challenging 2023") of a 4-and-a-half hour wait.

I left the [lockdown nightmare only to enter the 72-hour PCR testing nightmare,” said one Shanghai](https://www.financedigest.com/tesla-stutters-under-tighter-shanghai-lockdown-beijing-keeps-hunting-covid.html "Tesla stutters under tighter Shanghai lockdown; Beijing keeps hunting COVID") resident on Weibo, declining to provide her name.

“It is troublesome, but we have no choice,” said another, named Xu Xiaojun. “This is for everyone’s good.”

Xia Kejia, a city official responsible for PCR screening, apologised for the queues at a news [conference on Thursday and said more workers would be deployed and booths’ opening](https://www.financedigest.com/one-minute-to-midnight-says-johnson-as-climate-conference-opens.html "“One minute to midnight” says Johnson as climate conference opens") times extended to try to resolve the issues.

Other [cities including Beijing and Shenzhen have imposed similar requirements under a national zero-COVID policy that aims to cut](https://www.financedigest.com/citi-pledges-to-cut-emissions-for-more-sectors-including-coal.html "Citi pledges to cut emissions for more sectors including coal") off every infection chain.

Despite the discontent caused by Shanghai’s stringent curbs, China has vowed to stick with its approach. It [says the zero-COVID policy is needed to save lives](https://www.financedigest.com/malaysias-new-pm-anwar-says-first-priority-is-cost-of-living.html "Malaysia’s new PM Anwar says first priority is cost of living") and prevent its healthcare system from being swamped, even as much of the world tries to return to normal despite ongoing infections.

That increasingly means [COVID testing](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-not-planning-covid-testing-for-travellers-from-china.html "UK not planning COVID testing for travellers from China") is becoming a feature of daily life. [China’s goal is to have testing](https://www.financedigest.com/china-unionpay-qualifies-fime-test-platform.html "China UnionPay qualifies FIME test platform") sites within a 15 minute walk for everyone in large cities.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper published a commentary on Thursday in which it said the zero-COVID policy was most appropriate for [China’s situation](https://www.financedigest.com/who-urges-china-to-share-specific-data-regularly-on-covid-situation.html "WHO urges China to share specific data regularly on COVID situation"). It also carried a front-page article describing how Shanghai was [returning to normal](https://www.financedigest.com/return-to-normal-uk-pm-johnson-outlines-end-to-englands-virus-restrictions.html "Return to normal? UK PM Johnson outlines end to England’s virus restrictions").

Great, [phased results](https://www.financedigest.com/medherant-announces-positive-phase-i-results-for-its-first-transdermal-drug-delivery-patch.html "Medherant announces positive Phase I results for its first transdermal drug delivery patch") have been achieved in the defence of Shanghai,” it said.

ON EDGE

Still, some 2.5 million in the [city remain under lockdown](https://www.financedigest.com/factbox-covid-hit-chinese-cities-seek-exit-from-painful-lockdown.html "Factbox-COVID-hit Chinese cities seek exit from painful lockdown") and the consequences of testing positive are the same as before. All [positive cases](https://www.financedigest.com/italy-probes-meta-over-abuse-of-position-in-music-rights-case.html "Italy probes Meta over abuse of position in music rights case") will be sent to central quarantine and close contacts – including neighbours – barred from leaving home.

This has left many Shanghai residents remaining on edge. Two told [Reuters that they were informed on Thursday by their compounds that they were required to go back](https://www.financedigest.com/thomson-reuters-lifts-sales-outlook-on-back-of-earnings-beat.html "Thomson Reuters lifts sales outlook on back of earnings beat") under lockdown and undergo daily testing.

On Thursday, videos shared on social media showed [people fleeing the luxury International Finance Centre (IFC) mall in the Lujiazui financial district after it stopped people from entering or exiting – a common](https://www.financedigest.com/5-common-ways-people-end-up-in-debt-without-realising.html "5 Common Ways People End Up In Debt Without Realising") practice at venues when a positive COVID test result is found.

The IFC mall later [issued a notice saying](https://www.financedigest.com/apple-says-issues-with-imessage-facetime-resolved35792.html "Apple says issues with iMessage, FaceTime resolved") that it had reopened at 12.30 p.m. local time after carrying out a full disinfection without confirming whether there had been a [positive COVID test](https://www.financedigest.com/biden-tests-positive-for-covid-has-mild-symptoms-taking-paxlovid-treatment.html "Biden tests positive for COVID, has mild symptoms, taking Paxlovid treatment") at the site. The mall did not respond to [calls seeking](https://www.financedigest.com/final-call-for-first-time-buyers-seeking-a-new-home-at-sovereign-place.html "Final Call For First Time Buyers Seeking A New Home At Sovereign Place") further comment.

Other residents still under lockdown expressed mounting frustration over their situation.

Aden Hogan, a British citizen, said his Shanghai compound had not been released as two “abnormal” [test results had been found among his neighbours this week](https://www.financedigest.com/dollar-near-one-week-high-as-traders-prepare-for-powell-payrolls-tests.html "Dollar near one-week high as traders prepare for Powell, payrolls tests"). While they were later told that these were false positives, they were still being made to undergo multiple tests and not allowed to leave, he said.

“People have done nothing wrong. We’ve taken the test anytime that they have said…and they’ve been forcing us to have tests in the middle of the night. It makes you feel like a criminal.”

[Shanghai reported eight new asymptomatic coronavirus cases](https://www.financedigest.com/shanghai-finds-cases-after-five-days-of-zero-covid-but-end-of-lockdown-on-track.html "Shanghai finds cases after five days of ‘zero COVID’ but end of lockdown on track") for June 1 and five new symptomatic cases. On Thursday, officials said they upgraded four areas to medium-risk after finding seven new [coronavirus cases](https://www.financedigest.com/sydney-hospitals-under-strain-as-coronavirus-cases-hit-record.html "Sydney hospitals under strain as coronavirus cases hit record").

(Reporting by Brenda Goh, Andrew Galbraith, Winni Zhou, Zhang Yan and Engen Tham and the Shanghai Newsroom, Martin Pollard and Sophie Yu in Beijing; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Angus MacSwan)


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