SHANGHAI LOCKDOWN CHAT - CATHRINE
- haibox
- Apr 17, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 18, 2022
1.
Q:
First of all, can you briefly introduce yourself? (Like, where are you from? How long have you been in Shanghai? Which district are you living? What do you do in Shanghai? ,etc.）
A:
I am Cathrine from Denmark, and lived in Shanghai for 4 years, in the Jing’an district. I work as an International HR for a Chinese tech company.
2.
Q:
How long have you been in this home quarantine? What's the situation of your area or building? How do you manage to solve the basic grocery problem? Do you have enough supplies at the moment?
A:
At the time of writing, I have been in quarantine for 17 days. We have had one or two positive cases in the last week, which means that allegedly we should be released around April 24th. We are ordering most supplies through various expat supermarkets that sell emergency boxes, and we can choose individual boxes which means we are not relying on the neighbors and their orders. We also receive rations from the government, and I just received from my company as well. We have plenty of food.
3.
Q:
Has this lockdown changed your working mode? Is it very different from going to work in the company? What is a typical work day and weekend day for you, during this quarantine?
A:
My working mode has changed a bit but not too much because I was working flexibly beforehand too. Now, I work in mornings and evenings mostly because I work for a US based team. Then I have a long lunch break. So in my situation, my work flow has not changed too much because of the lockdown.
4.
Q:
What are the warmest AND the most disappointing social news you saw, during this lockdown?
A:
The best news I think are some of the funny videos, that we can laugh about during these special times. I saw a video of a volunteer telling a chicken to go inside. Some things that can make you laugh, whether alone or with friends. The worst news, I am not too sure where to begin. I think it was the pets killings or the children being separated from their parents.
5.
Q:
We saw so much chaotic news every day, has this changed your impression about Shanghai? From 1-10, how much do you score for Shanghai’s lockdown solutions? Any suggestions to improve?
A:
I think the lockdown is managed very poorly, as “the solution cannot be worse than the problem”, but right now it is with cases being mostly asymptomatic. Currently, there are 0 deaths in Shanghai and 0.004% severe sick cases. But people are starving and businesses are not able to run. Thus, I would score the lockdown 2. I don’t think Shanghai government is the only government to blame for this lockdown, I think it is a higher national issue, therefore my impression of Shanghai as such has not changed too much, and due to the measures of zero-covid policy that we have seen nationally, I am not surprised about the management of it.
6.
Q:
How do you manage to keep your mind relatively stable during this special period? Have you found some good ways of releasing stress or depression?
A:
I actually work out more now than I did before. I go to online workout/fitness classes 3-4 days a week, I think staying physically active helps the mind a lot being healthy. I also try to keep up goals in my work and outside of work, like studying some courses and doing other online initiatives that I care about. I will admit I watch too many news and bring my mind towards covid too much, so I have to try and push myself to do other things that will distract me like watching a tv show with my boyfriend that I like. Also, I live with my boyfriend and his two dogs. Pets really help your mental health! Because they are so innocent and don’t know what is happening and are always a happy support.
7.
Q:
From the lockdown, are there any positive lessons or messages that you want to share with other people?
A:
I think this lockdown will make us more resilient, help us slow down life a bit, and teach us to cherish some smaller things in life, like a simple food delivery.
Also, I think it’s important to notice that each person’s well being is essential for a whole group to be happy and to help each other. If we don’t have food for ourselves, we cannot help others.
Comments