Shanghai Officials Fired Over COVID Response

Authorities say they failed to control outbreak
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 8, 2022 4:03 AM CDT
Shanghai Officials Fired Over COVID Response
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, medical workers in Shandong Province gather near a banner which reads "Unite as one, resolutely win the battle against epidemic prevention and control" before leaving for Shanghai.   (Xu Suhui/Xinhua via AP)

Three local officials in Shanghai have been sacked over a slack response to the COVID-19 outbreak in China’s largest city, where residents are complaining of harsh lockdown conditions leading to shortages of food and basic necessities. An official notice Friday gave no details of the allegations against the three officials, but said their failure to fulfill their duties in epidemic prevention and control had allowed the virus to spread, leading to a "serious impact" on efforts to control the outbreak, the AP reports. Shanghai announced more than 21,000 new local cases on Friday, setting a record for the seventh day in a row.

Shanghai has placed all 26 million residents under lockdown and implemented mass testing, while requiring anyone with a positive result to be held in an isolation center, some of which have been newly created from converted gymnasiums and exhibition halls. Some residents have received government food packages containing meat and vegetables. Many, however, are struggling to obtain rice and other basics, with online vendors sold out and delivery services unable to keep up with demand. The city was first promised a two-phase lockdown starting March 28 and lasting no more than eight days total. With little notice given, residents made a run on supermarkets, quickly leaving shelves bare.

Those measures have since been extended, leaving many families that had planned for only a limited time in quarantine without supplies. Authorities say they will determine future steps based on testing results, but have given no specifics. City officials have apologized for mishandling the lockdown and promised to improve food supplies. The Communist Party leadership in Beijing is working to squelch complaints, especially online, in hopes of preventing the lockdown and accompanying dissatisfaction from becoming a political issue ahead of a key party congress later this year.

(More COVID-19 stories.)

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