IT'S THE LATEST CITY TO ENTER
COVID LOCKDOWNS IN CHINA.
>> AFTER A WEEKEND WITH SOME
OF THE HIGHEST NUMBERS OF
DAILY COVID CASES SINCE THE
PANDEMIC BEGAN SHANGHAI'S.
ALSO THE LARGEST SINGLE CITY
TO ENFORCE CHINA'S 0 COVID
POLICY TO DATE. BUT SOME
PEOPLE THERE SAY THE PRICE OF
THE POLICY IS JUST TOO HIGH,
ESPECIALLY SINCE COVID CASES
IN CHINA ARE RELATIVELY LOW
COMPARED TO OTHER COUNTRIES
THAT ARE LIVING WITH THE
VIRUS. NBC NEWS FOREIGN
CORRESPONDENT JANIS MACKEY
FRAYER JOINS US NOW FROM
BEIJING WITH MORE DETAILS ON
THIS LOCKDOWN. HEY, JANICE,
GOOD TO SEE YOU. SO OFFICIALS.
>> IN SHANGHAI HAD ACTUALLY
ORIGINALLY DENIED THAT THEY BE
PUTTING THE CITY ON LOCKDOWN
HOPING TO KEEP THE FINANCIAL
DISTRICT SPECIFICALLY OPEN
WHILE ALSO MAINTAINING CHINA
STRICT 0 COVID POLICY, BUT
OBVIOUSLY THAT POSITIONS
REVERSED WHAT PROMPTED THAT?
>> WELL, UP UNTIL SATURDAY
THESE OFFICIALS WERE DENYING
RUMORS OF A LOCKDOWN. THEY
EVEN I HAD PEOPLE PUNISHED
FOR, QUOTE, UNQUOTE, SPREADING
FALSE INFORMATION AND THEN BY
SUNDAY THEY HAD THIS TO FLIGHT
SPACE PLAN TO LOCK THE CITY
DOWN AND AND AND THIS IS A
CITY OF NEARLY 26 MILLION
PEOPLE. IT'S THE FINANCIAL
HEART OF THE COUNTRY. ARGUABLY
AT CHINA'S MOST COSMOPOLITAN
CITY ARE RIGHT NOW HALF OF IT
ISN'T MOVING. THE IDEA IS THAT
THEY WANT TO CONTAIN THE RAPID
SPREAD OF THE BA 2 VARIANT
KNOWN AS STEALTH OMICRON MOST
OF THE CASES ARE ASYMPTOMATIC.
BUT THIS IS THE LARGEST COVID
ROLL COVID LOCKDOWN THAT WE'VE
SEEN PUBLIC TRANSIT HAS BEEN
CLOSED DOWN IN HALF. THE CITY
PEOPLE ARE BEING TOLD TO STAY
AT HOME. SCHOOLS ARE BEING
CLOSED TRAFFIC IS BEING THAT'S
FOR HALF OF THE CITY NOW THAT
BY THE END OF THE WEEK. THE
OTHER HALF OF THE CITY WILL
HAVE THE STATE LOCKDOWN
CONDITIONS.
>> JANICE ARE SORT OF
REFERENCING THIS. BUT THE
CITY'S CALLING THIS THE YANG
LOCKDOWN POLICY. WHAT DOES
THAT MEAN AND HOW IS THAT
DIFFERENT FROM THE LOCKDOWNS
WE SAW 2 YEARS AGO IN CHINA.
>> WELL, FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS,
IT'S BEEN THE SAME PLAYBOOK.
ALL OF THE SAME TACTICS ARE
BEING USED OUT WITH
QUARANTINES MASS TESTING AT
PUTTING PEOPLE INTO ISOLATION
FACILITIES IN ORDER TO TRY TO
STAMP OUT ANY SORT OF IN
KEEPING WITH THIS 0 COVID
POLICY. WHAT WE'RE SEEING AND
SHOT HIGH IS NOT EXACTLY A
FULL LOCKDOWN OF CHINA'S
BIGGEST CITY. BUT HALF HALF
APPROACH AT PEOPLE WERE
POSTING PICTURES ON SOCIAL
MEDIA OF A OF A HOT POT, YOU
KNOW, WITH THAT DIVIDED IN
HALF AND THAT'S EFFECTIVELY
WHAT IT IS RIGHT NOW. THE
EASTERN HALF OF THE CITY IS IN
FULL LOCKDOWN AND WILL UNDERGO
MASS TESTING. AND THEN AT THE
END OF THE WEEK. THE WESTERN
PART OF THIS CITY ON THE OTHER
SIDE OF THE RIVER WILL HAVE
THE SAME SORT OF THE CONCERN,
OF COURSE, IS THAT THERE'S
GOING TO THE HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM IS GOING TO BE
OVERWHELMED BECAUSE UNDER THE
0 COVID POLICY. EVERY
CONFIRMED CASE GOES TO THE
HOSPITAL. AND THAT'S WHY
THEY'RE CREATING THESE
ISOLATION CENTERS WHERE MILD
SYMPTOMATIC CASES OR
ASYMPTOMATIC CASES ARE BEING
PUT INTO A DIFFERENT TYPE OF
CENTRALIZED QUARANTINE.
>> AND JANICE, QUICKLY BEFORE
I LET YOU GO, TELL US WHAT ARE
PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT THESE
LOCKDOWNS IS THERE PANIC TO
GET EVERYTHING NEEDED FOR
ANOTHER LOCKDOWN INDOORS.
>> WELL, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO
ARE IN LOCKDOWN RIGHT NOW.
THERE WAS BARELY ANY NOTICE IT
WAS A SNAP LOCKDOWN. SO THERE
WAS SOME PANIC BUYING THERE
WERE VIDEOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
PEOPLE LIKE DUKING IT OUT OVER
FOOD AND AS STORE SHELVES THAT
HAVE BEEN STRIPPED BARE PEOPLE
IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE
CITY THAT WILL UNDERGO THE
LOCKDOWN LATER IN THE WEEK
FEEL LIKE THEY'VE HAD A FEW
MORE DAYS TO PREPARE. BUT IT'S
IMPACTING MILLIONS OF DAILY
LIVES AND IT'S HAVING AN
IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY TO A
MANUFACTURING ON SHIPPING.
THERE'S ONE ECONOMIST IN HONG
KONG WHO FIGURES THAT
LOCKDOWNS ACROSS CHINA ARE
COSTING THE ECONOMY 46 BILLION
DOLLARS A MONTH JUST OVER 3%
OF GDP. SO THEY'RE SAYING THAT
AT SOME POINT THERE'S GOING TO
HAVE TO SOMETHING'S GOING TO
HAVE TO GIVE THAT THIS THE
POLICY JUST ISN'T SUSTAINABLE
AS WELL. WHEN YOU GET MASS
TESTING NATURALLY SAVANNAH,
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE
NUMBER OF CASES GO UP. SO THE
CONCERN, OF COURSE, IS THAT IF
THE NUMBERS START GOING
THROUGH THE ROOF WITH TESTING
RESULTS. IT'S GOING TO BE MORE
JURORS AND MAYBE A LONGER
LOCKDOWN FOR CITIES LIKE
SHANGHAI? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
ALL RIGHT. SOMETHING WE'LL
KEEP OUR EYES ON JANIS MACKEY