Shanghai Lockdown Enters Week 3; Rising Concerns Over Access To Food And Essentials

Thousands of recovered COVID-19 patients were released from an exhibition center in Shanghai on Sunday, which has been converted into a hospital.

What Happened: Reports indicate that 11,000 patients were allowed to return home as China’s capital city remains in lockdown, which has been the case since March 28.

There have so far been 1,006 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in a city with a population of 26 million people.

The U.S. government is advising Americans to avoid travel to China due to the lockdown and “arbitrary enforcement” of restrictions tied to COVID-19 infections. U.S. citizens are further warned that they face the possibility of “parents and children being separated” if they travel to China.

Chinese officials have responded, saying the U.S. was making “groundless accusations” about the country’s response to the latest outbreak of cases.

“It should be pointed out that China’s anti-epidemic policies are science-based and effective,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian. “We are fully confident that Shanghai and other places in China will prevail over the new wave of the epidemic.”

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Impact Of The Lockdown: There have been reports of residents not being allowed to leave their buildings in Shanghai, along with an inability to receive food deliveries. The Chinese government-owned newspaper Global Times reports that essential daily supplies for residents have been secured.

Shanghai authorities say there have been no deaths so far due to the most recent COVID-19 outbreak.