A clumsy lockdown of Shanghai is testing the “zero-covid” strategy

THE EFFORT to stamp out covid-19 in Shanghai has taken on the characteristics of a military campaign. The army has published photos of planes offloading personnel and supplies. Tens of thousands of medical workers have marched into the city. At least as many covid patients will be spirited out—bused to field hospitals in neighbouring areas, sometimes hundreds of kilometres away. The rest of the city’s 25m residents will remain locked down as the fight against the virus drags on.

For two years China’s business and finance hub remained relatively unscathed by covid. Shanghai was evidence of the government’s skilful handling of the pandemic. The country’s “zero-covid” approach, involving mass testing and strict lockdowns to crush outbreaks, led to fewer deaths and stronger economic growth than in other big countries. Xi Jinping, the president, has hailed the strategy as a great success—and proof that China’s socialist system is superior to Western democracy.