Plight of Shanghai’s Covid Patients Doesn’t End With Recovery

Staff disinfect the belongings Saturday of the first group of recovered patients to be released from the makeshift hospital set up at the Shanghai International Procurement Convention and Exhibition Center. Photo: VCG

Shanghai resident Zheng Xiao was supposed to leave Shanghai Ruijin Hospital on April 1, where she was admitted 14 days ago after testing positive for Covid. She was given a certificate by the hospital that said her centralized isolation was over and she should self-monitor her health at home for seven days.

To be able to return home, Zheng made a total of 92 calls within four days to various departments and authorities, but all in vain. According to the epidemic prevention and control requirements, recovered patients need to be transferred to their homes under closed-loop management. The neighborhood committees are responsible for arranging transportation. However, the hospital said that it was not responsible for communicating with the community where Zheng lived and asked her to contact the community by herself.