Dongguan starts seven-day lockdown, following Shenzhen's footsteps

Dongguan in Guangdong has been put under lockdown for mass mandatory testing until March 20, following Shenzhen authorities’ decision to impose a lockdown for its 17 million residents Sunday evening amid residents blaming Hong Kong.

All public transportation and dine-in service at restaurants in Dongguan have been suspended from Monday to Sunday.

Some Shenzhen residents have blamed Hong Kong for causing the outbreaks in the mainland. They were also dissatisfied that Shenzhen continues to provide supplies to the SAR.

“Shenzhen residents are blocking imported cases from Hong Kong with their lives. As a result, Shenzhen still has to provide supplies for Hong Kong even after being locked down. Why? Hong Kong is so precious that the country has to serve it?” one of the netizens said.

Dongguan recorded two local cases and 140 asymptomatic patients on Sunday. Since the city’s outbreak started on February 25, it has recorded over 1,000 cases -- 187 patients and 993 asymptomatic virus carriers.

In a statement issued in the early hours of Monday, the Dongguan government said there will be multiple rounds of citywide Covid-19 testing for its 10 million residents during the lockdown.

All residential estates have been put under closed-loop management. Most people are not allowed to leave the city unless necessary and those with special reasons can only leave with a negative testing result within 24 hours.

Schools and tutoring institutions were also ordered to suspend face-to-face classes and universities were also put under closed-loop management.

Public premises, including gyms, cinemas, bars, libraries and hair salons, were also closed, while those providing essential daily supplies -- supermarkets, wet markets and pharmacies -- can only operate at half capacity with strict anti-epidemic measures.

In Shenzhen, supermarkets and wet markets were still open but shelves were empty after panic buying on Sunday when the government imposed a lockdown from Monday to March 20.

Vegetables, fresh meat, frozen food, instant noodles and canned food at supermarkets and convenience stores were all snapped up last night.

But supermarkets in Shenzhen restocked quickly on Monday and ensured there will be enough stock of daily supplies to cope with citizens’ needs in the coming week.

Still, over 100 people, including some wearing protective clothes, traveled to Shenzhen from Hong Kong through Shenzhen Bay port on Monday.

Travelers from Hong Kong have to undergo a 14-day hotel quarantine and many of them believe the pandemic in the city will be controlled when they finish quarantine two weeks later.

A mainlander surnamed Feng said she decided to go back to the mainland as she believed Shenzhen is still safer than Hong Kong.

“One of my friends who completed hotel quarantine in Shenzhen was not allowed to return home because of the lockdown and had to spend another day at the hotel,” Feng said.

“I was worried that I wouldn't be able to return to Shenzhen. The pandemic there is not as severe as Hong Kong after all and it’s safer to stay in Shenzhen."

Although Shenzhen residents are not allowed to leave the city unless necessary, those with special needs could only leave the city with a negative Covid-19 testing result within 24 hours.

Some residents still successfully crossed the Shenzhen Bay border and came to Hong Kong on Monday, including a mainlander surnamed Zhu.

“I could still take a taxi so I think I will be allowed to pass the border. Shenzhen was not completely locked down and some residential estates just closed by themselves,” he said.

Shenzhen people have to work from home while Foxconn announced to suspend the operation of iPhone manufacturing factories in Shenzhen.

Foxconn said it has moved its production line to factories in other cities to reduce the pandemic’s impact on production.