On March 28, in the face of a growing COVID-19 outbreak, officials in Shanghai, China, instituted strict lockdown controls, confining millions of residents to their homes. More than two weeks later, as residents struggle to stretch their supplies and make do with the little food that is available, the frustrations of those in lockdown are rising. Today, despite more than 25,000 reported new COVID-19 infections, authorities announced that they were lifting some restrictions in certain areas, hoping to “get the city moving again.”
Two Weeks of COVID Lockdown in Shanghai
Hints:
View this page full screen.
Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.
-
![A police officer in protective gear stands in front of a road-tunnel entrance, beneath street signs.]()
Read moreA transit officer wearing protective gear controls access to a tunnel in the direction of the Pudong district of Shanghai, China, in lockdown as a measure against the spread of COVID-19, on March 28, 2022. #
Hector Retamal / AFP / Getty -
-
![A person wearing protective gear walks down an empty city street.]()
Read moreA worker in a protective suit keeps watch on a street at the beginning of the second stage of a two-stage lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Shanghai on April 1. #
Aly Song / Reuters -
![Customers look through empty shelves in a supermarket.]()
Read moreCustomers look through empty shelves in a supermarket in Shanghai on March 30. #
Chen Si / AP -
![Two people stand in a street, handing bags of food to people on the other side of a tall, temporary barrier.]()
Read morePeople pass food to residents over the barriers of an area under lockdown in Shanghai on March 25. #
Aly Song / Reuters -
-
![A person in protective gear stands outside an apartment building that has a piece of tape reading "police" over a door.]()
Read moreThe door of an apartment is cordoned off during a lockdown in Shanghai on April 4. #
Aly Song / Reuters -
![Two lines of people wearing protective gear stand on a sidewalk and street, unloading food supplies from a truck.]()
Read moreThis photo taken on April 5 shows people wearing personal protective equipment as they transfer daily food supplies and necessities for local residents during the COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai. #
AFP / Getty -
![Hundreds of bags of vegetables in a long pile in an alley]()
Read moreBags of vegetables at a residential compound in Shanghai on March 31 #
Aly Song / Reuters -
-
![An aerial view of a mostly empty highway exchange]()
Read moreAn aerial view shows an empty bridge over the Huangpu River, amid traffic restrictions and a lockdown in Shanghai's Pudong area, on March 29. #
Aly Song / Reuters -
![A person in a protective suit walks a dog in a residential area.]()
Read moreA person in a protective suit walks a dog in a residential area under lockdown in Shanghai on April 5. #
Aly Song / Reuters -
![A view of a residential area at night, including tall buildings with many lit-up windows]()
Read moreA view of a residential area at night during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Jing'an district in Shanghai, on April 9 #
Hector Retamal / AFP / Getty -
-
![Employees work on a makeshift hospital that has rows and rows of cubicles.]()
Read moreEmployees work on a makeshift hospital that will be used for COVID-19 patients in Shanghai, on April 7. #
CNS / AFP / Getty -
![Medical workers conduct ward rounds at Shanghai New International Expo Center, which has been turned into a makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients.]()
Read moreMedical workers conduct ward rounds at Shanghai New International Expo Center, which has been turned into a makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients, on April 9. #
China Daily / Reuters -
![Two people in protective gear operate a drone in a street.]()
Read morePolice officers in protective suits operate a drone with a loudspeaker reminding residents to follow pandemic-prevention measures in Shanghai on March 30. #
Aly Song / Reuters -
-
![A child's hands grip the top of a barrier.]()
Read moreA child's hands grip a barrier in an area under lockdown in Shanghai on March 26. #
Aly Song / Reuters -
![Workers in protective suits spray disinfectant in a courtyard.]()
Read moreWorkers in protective suits spray disinfectant at a community in Shanghai on April 5. #
Aly Song / Reuters -
![A view from above of empty streets around apartment buildings]()
Read moreA view of empty streets during the second stage of a COVID-19 lockdown in the Yangpu district of Shanghai on April 1 #
AFP / Getty -
-
![A person works at a laptop in an office with a small portable bed on the floor beside them.]()
Read moreA staff member works next to a camp bed in an office at the Bank of Communications headquarters, during the lockdown in Shanghai's Lujiazui financial district, on April 8. #
Bank of Communications / Reuters -
![A view of apartment buildings, in which one of them has a stuffed bear sitting in an open window.]()
Read moreA toy is tucked into a window during a lockdown in a residential area in Shanghai on April 4. #
Aly Song / Reuters -
![A worker wearing personal protective equipment rides a bicycle in an empty street.]()
Read moreA worker wearing personal protective equipment rides a bicycle in the closed Jing'an district in Shanghai on April 8. #
Hector Retamal / AFP / Getty -
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.