Anger boils as China locks down to contain worst COVID outbreak

Schools, restaurants and factories shuttered in Shanghai, Shenzhen

Residents line up outside a testing center in Shanghai. The financial hub's streets were largely deserted Monday as authorities shuttered schools and restaurants and locked down neighborhoods. © Reuters

CK TAN and PAK YIU, Nikkei staff writers

March 14, 2022 20:35 JST

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG -- Shanghai taxi driver Li Ming and factory boss Danny Lau live more than 1,500 kilometers apart, but the pair are feeling a similar sense of despair as China rolls out another lockdown to contain its worst virus outbreak yet.

"I can't go to work because our xiaoqu has been locked down since Saturday," Li said, referring to his residential complex in Shanghai's Xuhui District. "The taxi business hasn't recovered since early 2020 and this latest lockdown only adds to more worries about the future."