Before Guan Zejun’s apartment block was locked on March 27, he bought enough noodles and bread to last a week. He figured that if it ran out of space, he could always place an order. After all, this is Shanghai.
Soon after, however, authorities locked down the entire city of 26 million people in an effort to contain China’s worst coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began.
On Friday, Mr. Guan, a 31-year-old programmer, posted a photo on Weibo of his almost empty box and begged for government help.
He said the last time he received a grocery delivery from the local government was about a week ago. It contained a dozen eggs, some cabbage and carrots, some rapid test kits, and some traditional Chinese medicine.
“I’m used to feeling hungry now,” Mr. Guan said in an interview. “I never expected that in the 21st century, in a big city like Shanghai, I would go through what my grandparents’ generation went through, unable to fill my stomach.”
A week after China’s largest city was closed, many residents, like Mr. Guan, are urgently calling for help to secure food, as quarantine rules have shut down grocery stores. and restaurant. That leaves people dependent on government deliveries and online ordering, both of which are unpredictable. Mr. Guan said he and his neighbors tried to order lunch boxes in bulk, but often failed.
Shanghai on Friday announced a daily record of more than 21,000 new cases, bringing the total since last month to more than 130,000. To combat the outbreak, officials have introduced harsh restrictions on movement, in line with China’s policy of trying to eliminate local transmission.
The door lock was announced in a hurry, many residents did not have time to stock up on supplies. Online grocery deliveries are still available, but stores sell out early in the morning, many residents said. Local authorities have deployed teams of neighborhood workers to distribute food, but residents say deliveries are sporadic or delayed.
At times the management of the strike has become chaoticcaused a potential political problem for the government, and many residents turned to social media in despair.
It’s not clear how widespread food shortages are, and they appear to vary from county to county. The difficulties have affected class and nationality in Shanghai, which has a large expat population.
Many residents also said there were no problems in securing food. But officials have acknowledged some problems, announcing on Thursday that they will lift restrictions on some wholesale markets and delivery workers and will recruit more volunteers to speed things up. grocery distribution.
Chen Tong, deputy mayor of Shanghai, said at a press conference on Thursday that food supplies were sufficient but delivery companies were facing logistical difficulties due to pandemic control policies.
“This has created a phenomenon where it is difficult to get basic supplies to people’s doors,” said Chen, adding that officials are making “every effort” to ensure deliveries. .
