For more than two weeks, Shanghai has been hit by citywide lockdown measures that seem unable to stem the tide of growing Covid-19 infections. According to Data released by local authorities, the number of cases continues to soar in the coastal metropolis, with the city recording more than 27,700 new infections on April 13.
Desperate times call for drastic measures and last Saturday saw the inauguration of the country’s largest makeshift hospital. The city’s National Convention & Exhibition Center has been outfitted with more than 50,000 beds, and it’s not the only one of its kind.
The Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center has been converted into a temporary Covid treatment facility with more than 50,000 beds. Image via Depositphotos
More than 100 makeshift hospitals have sprung up in Shanghai, state-affiliated publication reports world times. In total, they offer more than 160,000 beds for Covid patients.
Populated with patients and medical staff, these sprawling spaces are – unsurprisingly – a hotbed of stories, RADII finds.
Zhuyia food blogger with more than 101,000 followers on Weibo, has documented his 11-day quarantine in a temporary Covid treatment center via online diary entries that netizens have dubbed “makeshift hospital non-fiction literature”.
He started sharing his impressions and observations right after he tested positive and was transferred to a temporary hospital at the end of March. Since then, her diary has been trending on Weibo and has been viewed more than 1 million times a day.
Arriving at the medical facility, Zhuyi made a list of must-have items for potential patients, including a sleep mask, toilet paper, tea, a cup, a toothbrush and toothpaste, scissors and a pyjamas.
A week into her hospital stay, the 24/7 lighting began to have a detrimental effect on Zhuyi. Having trouble falling asleep, he used blankets to build a tent-like fort that shrouded his bed in darkness. “It looks like a refugee tent from afar, but it works,” he joked online.
Sheets are used to block out 24-hour lighting at one of Shanghai’s makeshift hospitals
Another problem faced by Zhuyi was the lack of sanitary facilities, unable to meet the demands of patients on site. As a result, the blogger only washed his hair every five days.
“There’s a 30-meter-long queue in front of some ice-cold water taps,” he wrote, before adding humorously: “Luckily I have short hair now because the water flow is finer than a wand.”
Despite the 24-hour lighting and lackluster hygiene infrastructure, Zhuyi listed several positive and memorable moments during her hospital stay, including the gentle serenades of a music-prone patient.
“In the corridor leading to the toilets, a lady practices singing every day. The gigantic open space gives his voice a stereo quality.
Other treasured memories that resonated with the food blogger included children taking online lessons from their hospital beds and playing with each other. He also took note of the special food served to ethnic minorities.
As a food blogger, Zhuyi naturally documented the meals inside the makeshift hospital. The patients received three meals a day, but these were far from tasty. Yet they were the source of contention initially.
“Initially there was chaos as people rushed and fought to get their food first,” Zhuyi said. “Then it became more and more manageable.”
Walking around the facility and chatting with strangers, Zhuyi realized that not everyone wanted to leave as badly as he did: construction workers without permanent addresses, people who had lost their leases and ‘others worried about outside food supplies were happy to stay. put.
A barber plying his trade in one of Shanghai’s newly built Covid facilities
For some, the facility was more than a temporary home: it was a workspace and a source of income.
One barber, in particular, caught Zhuyi’s eye. He brought his tool kit with him to the hospital and developed a growing number of customers by offering haircuts for 20 RMB each. “He doesn’t want to leave, I can tell,” Zhuyi wrote in his online diary.
“Walking around, I feel like I’m in a remote but familiar village.”
After being cleared to leave the makeshift Covid treatment center, Zhuyi was approached by other patients who offered him bread, milk and leftover food to help him cope at home . Given his lack of experience with hoarding or group buying, they hoped to keep him from starving.
“It will be hard, but I can’t wait to get home,” the blogger said on Weibo. “My time here has been precious, but I wouldn’t want to live it twice.”
All images courtesy of Zhuyi
