Conflicted Safety: Struggles in Shanghai During COVID Surge

Cases of COVID-19 have been surging throughout China. The country has implemented a stringent "zero-COVID" strategy that includes mass testing, limited travel and large-scale lockdowns. In Shanghai, many residents haven't been able to leave their homes. It's an eerie reminder of the lockdowns in Wuhan during the first year of the pandemic.

NPR's international correspondent Rob Schmitz spoke with two residents of a housing complex in Shanghai about their experiences with the city's lockdown.

There are some people who are leaving their homes – mainly to enforce China's "zero-COVID" plan. China has hired tens of thousands of temporary workers to test, isolate and lock down entire cities.

Beijing correspondent Emily Feng spoke to a few of those workers, many of whom are poorly treated and underpaid.

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