Watch: Chinas zero-COVID policy leaves Shanghai screaming for help

As China continues to follow its zero-COVID policy to contain the outbreak in the country, citizens gasp for breath, and for freedom. A recent video being circulated on the internet displays thousands of Shanghai residents in high-rise apartments screaming in unison.

“Shanghai residents mad as hell, can’t take it anymore. china’s zero covid policy getting dangerous,” Ian Bremmer, a political scientist, captioned the video on Twitter on Sunday. 

Since its upload, the video has garnered over 4.1 million views and several comments.

The video was originally uploaded by author Patrick Madrid on Friday.

“What the?? This video taken yesterday in Shanghai, China, by the father of a close friend of mine. She verified its authenticity: People screaming out of their windows after a week of total lockdown, no leaving your apartment for any reason,” Madrid wrote. 

Reacting to the terrifying screams, one Twitter user wrote, “This is apocalyptic kind of stuff.”

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Another user added, “This is so dystopian….the sound of the yelling gives me the creeps…I think all the “freedom lovers” should watch this….maybe they’d realize how free we already are.”

Another video uploaded earlier this week displays a drone issuing warnings to citizens as it flies over Shanghai. “Please comply w covid restrictions. Control your soul’s desire for freedom. Do not open the window or sing,” the drone is heard disseminating.

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The Chinese city of Shanghai is in the midst of battling the country’s largest outbreak since 2019. With contagion all around, Chinese authorities have imposed strict lockdowns and restrictions to control the virus from spreading. This has resulted in several protests by citizens who have complained about being unable to get basic necessities, such as food, for themselves.

“Local residents in Shanghai seen fighting over groceries as half of its 26 million residents are in lockdown, and other half entering lockdown soon,” Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist, wrote on Twitter while sharing a video that displayed empty shelves in a supermarket as residents stocked up on supplies.