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It has been announced. This week: Shanghai Studio Technical Art Director (Director of Tech Art). Next week: APAC Region Operations Director (Senior Development Director ..read more

There are particular times and dates we never forget. 3:11 PM, Monday, July 7, 2008 is one such. Hell is not a place but a time. It is the moment of one’s last breath when they look back with regret upon chances not taken, opportunities not seized, and words left unsaid. Fear is the soil that feeds regret ..read more

Time flies when one is locked down (up?) in the isocubes. Near two months ago we got word of a building cleaner testing positive that sent us into a lockdown that has persisted until very recently. Our building has finally passed the coveted two week positive case free milestone to now transition into a ‘Precautionary Area’, enabling a single member of each household to venture out into the deserted streets once per day. Compared to much of the rest of the city, our district/community/building has been very lucky. Putuo was the first of the downtown districts to get the outbreak under control ..read more

It started with people fearing two weeks+ of detention in a quarantine centre over the potential health risk of Omicron. Now how long before people start weighing that loss of freedom vs. food security? How long before some soul starts to look for ways to end up (or remain) in quarantine, with two weeks+ of three square meals a day? When this is all that matters ..read more

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So the original messaging from the government stated that PuXi would be out of lockdown by this point (source: https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2203313825/). Yeah, that didn’t happen (nor was it remotely realistic honestly). Now it is simply stated as ‘indefinite’, though rumors are circulating about a week or two further. Given the near daily testing now – this might actually be the goal. Identify and isolate any and all positives quickly to break the contact chain. Since the start of lockdown, word of parents being separated from children in the event one is positive and other negative sparke ..read more

PCR test came back negative (the 5th in a month). Not particularly surprised as the only trips outside the apartment since March 4th could be counted on a single hand. Worried about COVID, not so much. Worried about being ingested by the Chinese COVID healthcare system, very much so. Why one may ask? Experience of a local expat educator testing positive and shipped to a COVID facility lacking heat and running water: https://twitter.com/leaningshane/status/1507148810841051136 Educators partner subsequently testing positive and sent, initially, to the mass quarantine camp at the Expo site in Pud ..read more

Sense of deja vu but with an odd combination of both more clarity yet more confusion. The locals have a better understanding for this iteration of lockdown (vs. our experience in Feb 2020), yet the management thereof is coming across as far more fragmented and uncertain. To help bring you up to speed: Omicrom BA.2 arrived in March and got loose into the Shanghai population due to a breakdown in process/procedure at a 14 day quarantine hotel for international arrivals (source: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202203/1254953.shtml). It quickly spread through the population which prompted authorit ..read more

“Commencing at the siren, any and all travel, including walking, will be illegal for four days. Transit, DiDi, and freedom in general will be unavailable until Tuesday morning at 3 AM when The (Virus) Purge concludes. Blessed be the Epidemiologic Committee and Shanghai, a city reborn. May RMB be with you all ..read more