Shanghai reports record deaths; virus-hit premises blocked by fences

Shanghai logged 21,058 new local Covid infections, most of which were mild, authorities said

Shanghai reported its highest number of daily Covid-19 deaths in the current outbreak, as China continues to stick to its Covid Zero policy with strict lockdown measures imposed in the city.

The city recorded 39 fatalities for Saturday, bringing its total number of virus-related deaths to 87 since late February, according to a report on Sunday by the Shanghai Health Commission. The average age of the people who died was 78.7 and all had underlying diseases, according to the report.

The authorities battling an outbreak of Covid-19 have erected fences outside residential buildings, sparking fresh public outcry over a lockdown that has forced much of the city’s 25 million people indoors.

The largest district in Beijing, meanwhile, will require everyone living or working in the area to take three Covid tests this week, and put more than a dozen buildings under lockdown.

Shanghai logged 21,058 new local Covid infections, the vast majority of which were mild or asymptomatic cases, the commission said. The previous day, the city reported 23,370 new local cases and 12 deaths. The district, Chaoyang, is home to 3.45 million people.

In Shanghai, images of workers in white hazmat suits sealing entrances of housing blocks and closing off entire streets with green fencing —roughly two metres tall — went viral on social media, prompting questions and complaints from residents.

“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.