Day 60 of Shanghai Lockdown

I... I think we're going to be free tomorrow? A week ago we were at "1 person per household is allowed limited hours outside for select neighborhoods," but tonight at midnight we are supposed to "resume work and production," unless you're in a lockdown area because of course.

What does that mean? Nobody really knows. Residents can "no longer be prohibited from leaving or enter their homes." OK, cool, so no forced homelessness? Nope. "Closed-loop management" is still in effect so businesses that want to stay open may still need to have their employees sleep in or live near their place of work. Everyone needs a 72-hour negative covid test to board public transit and enter public space, so we'll be jabbed every 3 days instead of every day going forward... If that means no more loudspeaker blaring outside of my door every morning at 7am, I'll be grateful...

But I'm not grateful. 60 days of isolation and we're being thrusted back into "economic recovery mode." As if we were the ones who broke the economy. They've "disinfected" the workplaces by spraying disinfectant... What about actually cleaning those places so they are habitable again? The other night, many areas in the city were flooded with termites which no doubt bred like mad in puddles and gutters that were left unmaintained for 2 months. People's apartments were invaded by hoards of them.

I don't even know which horseman of the apocalypse we're on, but I suspect a city that had stood completely abandoned and neglected can't just "restore" itself overnight by being aggressively disinfected.

I know I *should* be relieved. We're "free." But that freedom comes with so many damn air quotes and asterisks I don't even know what it'll look like.

#COVIDCatLady Day 843, #ShanghaiLockdown Day 60