Trapped After Lockdown

Entering the third year of pandemic since covid first broke out in 2019, most countries around the world have chosen to ease their policies on covid. Meanwhile, on the very contrary, China has decided to tighten its already strict zero-covid policy when increasing cases occurred in Shanghai in March, 2022. An unexpected citywide lockdown was forced on the mega cosmopolitan city, which stopped functioning completely since April, more than 25 million residents were stuck at home or wherever indoors. The reopening of the whole city didn't come until June, all aspects of life slowly got back on track, yet some people are still suffering from anxiety and stress caused by what happened in the harshest lockdown in Shanghai's history, having difficulty moving on. With the strict zero covid policy, everyone in this mega city is still on the verge of suffering from abrupt lockdown again. With the depression and pain caused by the two-month lockdown and the fear of going through it again makes a number of people in Shanghai currently in a subtle state of being set free physically, yet still trapped psychologically in some sorts of mental lockdown. Here are the portraits and stories of people in Shanghai who share these subtle feelings.