Shanghai’s 25 million residents have been suffering from an extreme COVID lockdown for almost a month – and now a new nightmarish topic is trending on Weibo, the country’s Twitter-like social media platform.
After consuming food from government-issued care packages, several residents of condominiums in several districts of Shanghai reported experiencing stomach pain and diarrhea, according to a report by Bloomberg News.
The aid packages, which included meals like stewed duck and meatballs, were sent out to residents to help address food shortages. The city’s residents are forbidden from leaving their homes during the lockdown that began earlier this month and it has become increasingly difficult to buy groceries. Some delivery apps have banned individual orders, meaning many residents have had to coordinate with neighbors to join bulk group orders.
Last week, at least two districts in east Shanghai warned residents of problems with moldy stewed duck and meatballs or problems with the packaging of government-distributed food.
“The market regulator will investigate and punish this type of violation strictly and quickly,” Tao Ailian, an official with the Shanghai Market Regulatory Agency, said at a briefing on the matter last Wednesday. Ailian’s office also issued additional guidance on the procurement and distribution of fresh food packages, urging organizers and manufacturers to do more to ensure food safety.
It’s the latest incident in a worrying lockdown period that has led many to question the effectiveness of China’s “COVID Zero” policy. Shanghai is still reporting around 20,000 positive cases a day – the highest of the pandemic. The city reported 39 new COVID deaths on April 23, the highest daily number since the lockdown began. The number of COVID deaths the previous day was just 12, according to Reuters.
Earlier this month a viral video shows frustrated residents screaming from the windows of their high-rise buildings. Last week, another video went viral that appeared to show a Chinese health worker beating a COVID-positive resident’s dog to death.
The story goes on
Residents told Fortune in April they are more afraid of China’s COVID-zero measures than the virus itself.
Until case numbers are under control, the country appears to have no plans to end lockdowns, meaning it could be some time before Shanghai’s 25 million residents are free to leave their homes again.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com