Shanghai’s locked-down creates frustrations in residential committees

For the first time in over a month, Elizabeth Liu and her husband were looking forward to leaving their Shanghai residential enclosure. After 14 days of no COVID instances, all but one structure in the compound was classed as low risk.

‘Because our building was legally a cautious zone, my husband put on the hazmat suit and went to the grocery to get our groceries,’ she explained. ‘We should be able to go out under the law.’

However, after he returned, a member of their compound’s residential committee and two police officers paid them a visit and urged them to stay at home.

For the first time in almost a month, Elizabeth Liu and her husband were eager to leave their Shanghai residential enclosure. After 14 days with no COVID instances, all but one of the buildings in the compound were classed as low risk.

‘Because our building was legally a cautious zone,’ she said, ‘my husband put on the hazmat suit and went to the grocery to pick up our food. We should be able to leave if the law permits.’

However, after he returned, the couple was visited by a member of their compound’s residential committee as well as two police officers, who advised them to remain at home.

Residents should only go out for “suitable activities,” according to the rules, although exactly what they are allowed to do relies on the juweihui’s discretion. Despite the fact that government data reveals that more than 70% of Shanghai residents are currently in cautious zones, many people have not been allowed to leave their compounds.

Residents also claim that the committees are hesitant to reveal exactly what is allowed and frequently modify guidelines on the fly.

‘The juweihui has a lot of influence in interpreting citywide rules,’ said Yifei Li, a sociologist and assistant professor at NYU-Shanghai who has spent the previous month under lockdown.

 

‘But what irritates me the most is when they continually altering their regulations about what is and isn’t allowed,’ he remarked. ‘That only adds even more uncertainty to an already fragile situation.’

The Shanghai administration declined to comment when contacted by Reuters regarding the juweihui’s inconsistent implementation of rules. However, it stated on its Wechat social media account on April 12 that each district had the authority to impose tighter limitations depending on the conditions.