Volunteers disinfect a residential community at Yangpu district during the phased lockdown triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak on April 24 in Shanghai. Photo: Yang Jianzheng/VCG via Getty Images
Shanghai authorities have erected fences outside of residential areas with COVID-19 cases, according to Reuters.
Driving the news: The move has sparked public outcry on social media, where people have compared the decision to enclosing residents in "like domestic animals." Others questioned whether the fencing is a fire hazard, per Reuters.
- Much of the fencing was installed around "sealed areas," or buildings with at least one case of COVID-19 where residents are forbidden from leaving.
- It's unclear why authorities have resorted to fencing, Reuters notes.
The big picture: China's largest city, home to about 26 million people, has been under a strict lockdown since the end of March.
- The lockdown has led to food shortages, family separations and censorship.
- Shanghai officials eased the lockdown on April 12, allowing some residents to leave their homes.
- But the city reported its first deaths as a result of the new outbreak on Monday, after three people died of the virus.