A tale of two cities during lockdowns

Medical workers travelling along the Bund in Shanghai after finishing work late at night. – China Daily/Asia News Network

THE news of the lockdowns in Shanghai this month brings back many memories of my time in China’s largest city and leading financial centre. I lived there for many years and was still there when Covid-19 was detected in Wuhan; I left for London just before the Spring Festival in 2020.

It was already clear in early 2020 from China that strong measures would be needed to contain the virus and I saw encouraging data on the very low numbers of deaths thanks to all the measures China was then taking. When I arrived in London, flights from China were still operating, but soon after were suspended. It took a while for London to implement health policies to protect its people against the virus.