World News

People protest, scramble for food in locked-down Shanghai amid reports of suicides, killing of pets | Videos

April 14, 2022
Bharat Times

–A man in Shanghai violated Covid lockdown norms only to approach police, deliberately asking them to arrest him. He did this in the belief that would get some food in jail.

–When another person in the Chinese city was taken into quarantine, his/her pet was beaten back at home.

These are claims being made in several reports and videos on social media.

Remember 2021 when Covid-19 had left thousands in India scrambling for oxygen? Kin of those infected with the virus were seen running from pillar to post to get medical supplies and even to find a grave to bury the dead. Right now, even worse scenes are being reported from China’s most populous city Shanghai.

Shanghai is battling the worst Covid-19 outbreak, pushing nearly 26 million residents into lockdown. The financial hub is under huge pressure to try to contain China’s biggest Covid outbreak since the coronavirus was first discovered in the city of Wuhan, some 800 km (500 miles) to the west, in late 2019.

With strict curbs, millions are increasingly frustrated being confined to their homes and struggling to get daily supplies. According to several reports, they are witnessing a shortage of essential items, including medical supplies.

Residents battling to secure delivery slots for their food are also facing surging prices which the government is keen to keep a lid on.

Several videos viral on social media claim to capture the horror faced by the residents of Shanghai amid all the “struggle and frustration”. (NOTE: India Today could not independently verify these videos.)

Many Twitter users have flooded the micro-blogging site with videos reportedly showing people, who were barred from leaving their houses, screaming from their windows for help. Take a look at one video below.

Another video claims to show residents desperately shouting, “Help, help, help, we have nothing to eat”.

While in another video, people were seen protesting while medical professionals in hazmat suits tried to settle the uproar. As people raised their voices, one person was heard shouting, “I’m starving to death! I’m starving to death!”

MAN VIOLATES LOCKDOWN TO GET ARRESTED. HERE’S WHY

China’s commercial capital, Shanghai, already warned on Wednesday that anyone who violates Covid-19 lockdown rules would be dealt with strictly.

However, a man allegedly violated Covid lockdown norms in Shanghai and approached a policeman, begging him to arrest him so that he would have something to eat in jail.

“This man in Shanghai deliberately violated Covid lockdown and approached the cop begging the cop to arrest him so that he will be in jail having some food to eat,” a Twitter user said while sharing the video on social media.

SILENT PROTESTS AND RIOTS IN SHANGHAI

The horror in Shanghai doesn’t end here. Several other users claimed that there were small riots and protests over the lack of food and essential items in Shanghai.

People were reportedly seen “ransacking and looting” supermarkets in China’s wealthiest city. Here is a video:

Meanwhile, other residents of Shanghai resorted to silent protest. They kept their open refrigerators out in their balconies to express their concerns over the food shortage at homes.

‘PETS CLUBBED IN PUBLIC’

Many people claimed that pets of Covid-19 patients were allegedly clubbed to death by health authorities in Shanghai.

Tens of videos are doing rounds on Twitter where people in hazmat suits are seen beating pets in a room or in public.

In a report, CNN mentioned a video of a health worker beating a dog at a residential compound in the Pudong district of the city.

The viral clip shows a Covid prevention worker — dressed in protective gear — chasing the corgi down a street and hitting it three times with a shovel. The video then shows the dog lying motionless.

“Shanghai, China – (CCP officers) Covid Workers Brutally Murders a Pet Dog. The Owner Was Taken to a Covid Facility. Warning Sounds May Be Very Disturbing,” said one Twitter user while captioning a brutal video.

Another claimed that when a person was taken to be quarantined, Covid authorities broke into the house to kill the person’s dog. “It howls in agony as these ‘people’ deal with it,” the user alleged.

While some videos claim to depict the “barbarism” on the pets of Covid-19 patients, others show a person jumping off the balcony “in desperation”.

SUICIDE TO AVOID STARVATION

Some people, “struggling and frustrated” over the crisis in Shanghai, died by suicide to avoid starvation.

A report in Daily Mail said a video showed “one struggling business owner in Tianjin, northern China forcibly pulling his wife out of their apartment window, killing them both”. Their child was inside the flat when the incident took place, the report said.

Meanwhile, a US talk show host said on Twitter, “…people are jumping to their doom to avoid starvation/lockdown while Covid + pets are clubbed in public. If you think our prosperity/modernity will save us from authoritarian brutality, think again,” a journalist claimed.

However, India Today couldn’t independently verify the source of the videos.

UNSANITARY CONDITIONS IN MAKESHIFT HOSPITALS

A report said that patients at makeshift hospitals complained of unsanitary conditions there. “There are no masks, no medical alcohol, no disinfection. Look at the garbage, toilets,” the report quoted a person as explaining the situation at makeshift hospitals.

COVID-19, SHANGHAI LOCKDOWN AND ECONOMY

Shanghai is facing China’s worst Covid-19 outbreak, with the country staring at a drastic impact on its economy.

Shanghai’s Covid measures, which reflect China’s strict “zero-Covid” approach to eliminate transmission chains, have reverberated through the global economy.

The city had imposed its most extensive lockdown starting March 28.

Analysts warned that they were not only hurting tourism and hospitality but also having an impact on supply chains across sectors.