The New Normal in Shanghai

I’m conscious that for some people, I’m the only person they know on the ground in China. It’s been a while since I posted anything about the pandemic situation here. So here’s a quick update from today, October 21st 2020.

At this point we have avoided a large-scale second wave. But there are still localised sporadic outbreaks, after which that particular area goes back into a mini-lockdown. Testing, contact-tracing, the works. Right now there’s one in the city of Qingdao, a city on the Northeastern seaboard. During this period, anyone traveling back from a newly infected area goes into quarantine again. But all the while, the entire rest of the country continues as normal. And after a couple of weeks, the city comes out of lockdown and rejoins the rest of the country.

“Normal” feels pretty normal at this point in Shanghai. Many people still wear masks, but mainly as a courtesy. They’re only mandatory on public transport, at airports, and in other places where people might congregate in larger numbers. I never leave the house without at least having one in my pocket. It’s the same story with the health tracker on our phones, we’re always ready to show the code when asked, but these instances are getting rarer. Some buildings still take your temperature before allowing you to enter, but again it isn’t mandatory across the board. Most places are back to 100% occupancy.

Like everywhere else, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But this is a quick snapshot of life in Shanghai right now.

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For the LinkedIn version, see here.