Shanghai takes China’s zero-Covid strategy to a new level. Because the Corona situation has deteriorated dramatically, the city is relying on comprehensive protective measures. One of them: children who test positive have to be in quarantine – without their parents.
When Esther Zhao brought her ailing two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to the hospital on March 26, the mother was convinced that she was doing the right thing. Three days later, she and the little girl tested positive for the coronavirus. The authorities want to bring the two and a half year old to a quarantine center for children. The mother begs and pleads not to be separated from each other – after all, the toddler is still very young. But the doctors are threatening: If Zhao doesn’t agree, she would be sent there herself – while her daughter would remain in the hospital.
The Reuters news agency describes a case that is currently exemplary for countless cases in China’s largest and richest city. The 25 million metropolis is currently being conquered by the corona virus. The number of cases is higher than ever before. On Monday, the Chinese authorities recorded 1,173 new infections throughout the People’s Republic. 288,000 people are currently infected. Shanghai is one of the hotspots in the country. From Monday to Tuesday, the authorities registered 271 new cases, a total of 7846 citizens are infected with the corona virus (as of April 5, 2022).
The city responded with a two-phase lockdown. The eastern and western parts of the city were to be cordoned off one after the other for four days each. In order to fight the corona outbreak, the Chinese government sent more than 38,000 helpers from 15 provinces to Shanghai, reports the state broadcaster CCTV, citing the Ministry of Health. Many residents of the city had even complained about problems with the supply of fresh food in the past few days.
Strict Corona regiment in Shanghai
Because of the persistently high number of infections, the lockdown has now been extended. Leaving your own home is strictly forbidden. Not even walking the dog is allowed. Only those who have to undergo a corona test can go out into the fresh air.
And those who test positive are isolated. This applies without restriction to children and adults, people with strong, mild or no symptoms at all. Appropriate isolation options have been set up for them. Infected people under the age of seven are treated at state health centers, according to the city health commission. Those who are older or in their teens must isolate themselves in quarantine centers like adults.
For families, this means a complete loss of contact. At least that’s how Esther Zhao told the Reuters news agency. Since her daughter was transferred to the health facility, the mother has not heard from her. Through a group chat with doctors, she was assured that her daughter was fine. But there is no more information.
“There were no photos…I was so scared, I just didn’t know what kind of situation my daughter was in,” says Zhao. She also heard nothing from her husband, who also tested positive and was placed in a quarantine center for adults. “Doctors have said that rules in Shanghai require children to be sent to designated points, while adults are required to be in quarantine centers and are not allowed to accompany their children.”
The health authority rejects the allegations. Parents are allowed to accompany their children to both quarantine and treatment – provided both have tested positive. Mothers and fathers are then allowed to stay with their children in the children’s departments in specially designated hospitals or quarantine places, the health authority assured on Monday. The medical treatment of the children is a very important task “that touches everyone’s heart,” said a spokesman.
“Frightening” conditions on social media
That doesn’t calm Zhao. Videos and pictures are going viral on social media. They show crying babies, the three of them lying in a cot. On a video, a moaning toddler crawls out of a room. The photos and videos circulating on the social networks Weibo and Douyin are said to come from a health center in the city. The Reuters news agency has not yet been able to verify the material, but a source familiar with the facility pointed out that the data was recorded at a facility in Jinshan. However, the health authority rejects this.
Three-month-old babies are said to have been separated from their breastfeeding mothers, according to a group on the WeChat messenger service, which is available to Reuters. In addition, eight children are said to have been in one room without adults. And in another case, twenty children between the ages of five and six are said to have been isolated without parents.
People are criticizing the situation online. Many are appalled, describing the decision on social media as “appalling” and wondering how the government came up with this idea in the first place. “Parents have to meet ‘conditions’ to accompany their children? This is absurd, it should be their most basic right,” criticized a user on the platform Weibo. “If I were a parent, I would intentionally get infected to be able to accompany my child,” writes another.
Measures should remain
The Chinese government is coming under increasing pressure with its zero-Covid strategy. Anger at the tough lockdown measures has been palpable in Shanghai and other cities for days.
Nevertheless, the authorities are sticking to the procedure. It is an essential part of the “prevention and control measures” against the virus. The health authority said the mass tests, medical monitoring of infected people and “transports” to quarantine centers would continue.
On the other hand, there is good news for Esther Zhao on Tuesday. The authorities allow her to visit her daughter. Zhao drives off immediately. “After a lot of effort from many people, I can now be with my daughter,” she says happily. Now she is hoping for a speedy recovery so that she and her child can soon return home safely.
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Source: Stern
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