The Lingering Impact of COVID-19: Shanghai's Struggle in Silence

As Shanghai marks five years since COVID-19 altered lives, many residents continue to grapple with the emotional fallout. Groups who endured extended restrictions remember lost loved ones, livelihoods, and a sense of dignity, as ghost towns replace once-thriving neighborhoods.

In Shanghai’s Menghua Jie, or Dream Flower Street, the remnants of strict lockdowns from 2022 are slowly fading, but their impact is ingrained deeply in the community's fabric. Fu Aiying, a 58-year-old restaurant owner, recalls the chaos when officials quarantined her without notice, forcing her to abandon groceries while chaos enveloped her neighborhood, which recorded high COVID infection rates.

While the smoldering scent of long-gone foods dissipates and testing booths have been dismantled, the emotional residue of the harsh lockdown lingers. Though laws and regulations led to some businesses resuming operations, many storefronts remain shuttered. Fu's eatery stands as one of the rare exceptions amidst a sea of abandonment and despair, a testament to resilience among decay.

Upon being released from 39 days in a mass quarantine facility, she returned to find herself disoriented in a city still grappling with devastation. Her own psychological changes, she notes, are disheartening; she feels a loss of her vivacity. “Since my time in quarantine, I don’t have a temper anymore. I don’t have a personality anymore,” she laments, tears welling up as she reflects on the deep personal changes stemming from that traumatic period.

Residents of what was once one of China's richest communities find themselves in a hushed exile of grief, grappling with the cavalcade of things they lost—beloved ones, jobs, and even the ability to procure basic necessities like food and medicine during the lockdown. The heavy toll of enforced isolation haunts many in Shanghai. As the city moves away from the pandemic era, the emotional scars of those lost years remain as present as ever.