What’s it Like Inside China Now?
An update from a Shanghai expatriate
Toby Simkin is feeling hopeful, according to his latest Facebook update. Toby, with the handle “Broadway Producer” is a New Yorker living in Shanghai, where he runs a theatrical company.
Things are slowly springing back to normality, he says, as the Shanghai authorities deal with the COVID-19 epidemic, bringing the city back from a state of near-total lockdown. It is a long update, but here are the bullet points:
Shanghai residents are in week seven of “officially-requested self-quarantine”. That means one resident per apartment may go out once every three days for essential grocery shopping, mask is mandatory, gloves highly recommended, wash clothing in hot water on return.
Every resident has a government-issued QR code. It must be scanned to enter public places or use transport. If a temperature check shows more than 37.3º you will be taken to a facility for COVID-19 screening. A positive test, and you’ll enter hospital quarantine.
QR codes are used to back-check any contacts for those testing positive — such as people entering the same facility, or using the same taxi or other public transport — and those residents are also tested.
…Anywhere you go, it tracks everyone else that went before you or with you, so once an infected person is identified to have been where you have been before you, or with you, your code changes to yellow, and you can get details of the interaction (taxi, bus, train, restaurant, bar, park, building, office etc).. and you can then take measures accordingly. Human rights and privacy by western standards go out the window, but preservation of life and health jumps above that to take priority. I’m all for this. — Toby Simkin
Smart tech such as apps, robots, and drones has been deployed for tasks that would normally be performed by humans. Disinfection of rooms, delivery of supplies, temperature-screening people, identifying those without face-masks, and so on. WeChat and other online services have been massively expanded to handle online interactions, such as conferences, teaching, government administration, payments and online shopping. Every effort is being made to minimise human to human contact.
The Central Bank is destroying its currency stocks and replacing any notes returned with brand new currency, so as to eliminate any infection lingering on the surface.
Streets and buildings are being spray disinfected on a daily basis.
About 55% of traffic has returned to the roads and public transport is running at 33% capacity. Foreign airlines have ceased flights almost entirely, and China’s own airlines are severely restricted, with at least one airline shutting up entirely, selling its assets to the central government.
People (yet nowhere near normal levels yet) are walking the streets again, and enjoying the blue skies resulting from 6 weeks of factory closures. — Toby Simkins
Schools are closed, but online classes are mandatory.
About 3% of restaurants have been allowed to reopen after undergoing strict documentation and testing. Those that are open must temperature test each customer, and dining-in is not recommended. Diners must wash hands before eating and wear a mask unless in the act of eating. All patrons and staff must keep one metre away from each other at all times.
Restaurant staff must be temperature-checked every thirty minutes, and wash hands every twenty.
Those who do not comply (or open without authority) are taken away for trial and sentencing for multi-year imprisonment.
Some public parks are open, but numbers are being strictly monitored, only a few allowed in — QR codes scanned, of course — and a 1 metre distance observed at all times.
Normal business had ceased completely but is now slowly resuming under strict compliance.
The impact on our entertainment industry will be devastating. Of course, all theatres, cinemas, stadiums, circus, convention centers, hotel ballrooms and KTV remain closed indefinitely. International touring productions aiming for summer tours from Australia and UK have been cancelled. — Toby Simkins
There are many more details listed in Toby’s update — he has been making weekly posts since the self-quarantine enforcement began — along with photographs.
How will we cope?
One aspect that struck me was his amusement and disbelief on hearing news of how other nations are dealing with the looming crisis. Things like downplaying numbers, comparisons with the flu, working through any symptoms, all met with hilarity.
For those of us in these nations, perhaps our best use of money would be to buy shares in those companies manufacturing masks and gloves and disinfectants.
Brace yourselves, readers. It’s going to be a rough year.
Britni
Britni Pepper writes for Kindle Direct Publishing. She runs a blog where she reviews erotica, and rambles on about this and that. She may be reached on Twitter and Facebook.
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