"Control your soul's desire": Video of Shanghai residents screaming out of high-rise apartment amid harsh lockdown goes viral on social media 

Shanghai is suffering from a major Covid outbreak (Image via @DrEricDing/Twitter and David Talukdar/Getty Images)
Shanghai is suffering from a major Covid outbreak (Image via @DrEricDing/Twitter and David Talukdar/Getty Images)

Shanghai went under strict lockdown from April 1, after the city saw a significant rise in Covid-19 cases last month. City residents are locked in their homes, with no permission to go out for anything, including food.

The government is providing people with daily groceries, which are reportedly not enough, causing them to starve. Upset individuals are taking to their windows and balconies to share their suffering by screaming or singing about their problems.

To placate the public, authorities are taking the help of drones, announcing and requesting everyone to avoid shouting and screaming from their houses. News reporter Alice Su shared a video of the government drone and translated the announcement to her Twitter followers. According to her tweet, the announcement said:

“Please comply with covid restrictions. Control your soul’s desire for freedom. Do not open the window or sing.”

Shanghai residents scream from their high-rise homes after 7 days of intense lockdown

A video of numerous people screaming from a group of tall buildings has gone viral. The video was posted by author and radio host Patrick Madrid on Twitter, who claimed to have received it from a friend in Shanghai. He posted the video with the caption:

"What the?? This video was captured yesterday in Shanghai, China, by the father of a close friend of mine. She verified its authenticity: People screaming out of their windows after a week of total lockdown, no leaving your apartment for any reason.”

The video was also shared by epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding. He translated some of the audible Shanghainese phrases and explained the video in his Twitter thread. He wrote:

"'yao ming le' & 'yao si' — both expressions meaning “life and death” but they also more literally means “asking for death”. Narrator eventually implies s**t is gonna hit the fan soon if this continues."

He also shared a lot of other information related to the lockdown in the Chinese city. Some of the videos showcased the food shortage in the city, where individuals had to survive on limited ration or buy overpriced groceries.


Internet users are criticizing the Chinese government

Netizens are resharing the video and sharing their views on the lockdown. Many sympathized with the locked residents and criticized the government for its incompetent handling of the situation. Some exclaimed that the government's behavior was "evil" and "abhorrent."

Many users shared their concerns over the pet-killing rumors from the city. A video of multiple pet animals filled in packets has gone viral on the platform. The video claims that the animals belong to families who have been infected by the virus and will be killed by the government.

The city is going through a very tough time with riots breaking out everywhere, people looting supermarkets and food prices hiking up to 3 times. The Chinese government has sent in 2,000 military medics and 10,000 medical workers into the city to help fight the Covid breakout.

Health care professionals in the district are taking a heavy toll, trying to constantly test and treat the breakout. This is China's worst Covid outbreak in the past two years, with over 25k reported positive cases.

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