Beijing: Residents of Shanghai are struggling to get meat, rice and other food supplies under anti-coronavirus controls that confine most of its 25 million people in their homes, fuelling frustration as the government tries to contain a spreading outbreak.
People in China’s business capital complain that online grocers often are sold out. Some received government food packages of meat and vegetables for a few days. But with no word on when they will be allowed out, anxiety is rising.
Zhang Yu, 33, said her household of eight eats three meals a day but has cut back to noodles for lunch. They received no government supplies. “It’s not easy to keep this up,” said Zhang, who starts shopping online at 7am (local time). “We read on the news there is (food), but we just can’t buy it,” she said. “As soon as you go to the grocery shopping app, it says today’s orders are filled. ”
The complaints are an embarrassment for the ruling Communist Party during a politically sensitive year when President Xi Jinping is expected to try to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as leader. The government reported 23,107 new Covid cases nationwide. That included 19,989 in Shanghai. Officials say Shanghai has enough food, but a deputy mayor Chen Tong acknowledged getting it the “last 100 metres” to households is a challenge.
