Tensions between China's Covid enforcers and the people of Shanghai are on the rise again.
There are videos on China's social media platforms that show suspected Covid-positive patients being forced into central facilities. A single positive case can lead to the entire apartment building being sent for scurvy.
Many of these videos have been taken down, but residents have continued to post them. The importance of the rule of law has been spoken of in past speeches by top officials and legal scholars. These speeches have been shared and reposted on social media to express disapproval of government policy.
In a major speech to the country's senior officials last week, the president reiterated that his government had no intention of deviating from the zero- Covid commitment. He warned against any criticism of the policy and urged officials to follow it.
Over the weekend, residents in at least four of Shanghai's 16 districts received notices that said they would no longer be able to receive food deliveries or leave their homes.
The way the government enforced the policy has become the most frightening thing, according to one Shanghai resident who wished to remain anonymous.
In the past few days, a number of videos shared on social media showed that health officials called Big Whites due to their white hazmat. Many residents questioned the legality of this practice. Others wondered if the measure had any scientific basis.
In one video, hazmat-suited enforcement officers ordered residents to be isolated after a neighbour tested positive. One of the officers is saying that this is China. The Guardian does not know the identities of the residents or whether they were taken away.
Some people in Shanghai were not compliant. A local resident spoke to government health workers about China's law. The middle-aged man, wearing a red protective suit with a face mask and a face shield, pointed out that there was always a limit to the power government officials are entitled to.
You have to tell me which items are allowed in our country, the man said.
It is not the first time that the government's enforcement of zero- Covid has led to tensions in a key financial hub in Asia. In April, residents in the eastern part of the city fought with police who were forcing them to surrender their homes.
Legal scholars are concerned about Covid-prevention excesses. On Sunday, a long appeal letter urging the government to abide by China's constitution was widely shared on social media. Many residents continued to post the article despite being taken down multiple times.
The lead author of the letter said the restrictions and the way the authorities enforced them could lead to a legal disaster.
Local governments and officials need to stick to the constitution and laws, and cannot destroy the rule of the law.
The author of The Wuhan Lockdown, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said citizens are protesting against the government after the first outbreak of the virus. We don't know how the government will respond in the end, as this dynamic has been taken to a new level by Shanghai.
The city is in a state of lock down. According to local health officials, case numbers have been decreasing. There were 322 locally transmitted Covid cases, 3,625 local asymptomatic infections and 11 deaths in the previous 24 hours. There was a drop in new cases for the 10th day in a row.
It's not the only place that has been under restrictions. The Beijing government has asked residents to work from home because the daily case numbers are low. Almost 15% of the Chinese capital's subway system has been suspended.
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