While most saw Shanghai's COVID-19 temporary hospitals through news headlines, Kaili lived it. The 28-year-old asymptomatic patient documented her 16-day stay at the Shanghai New International Expo Center facility, offering a ground-level view of China's pandemic management strategy that's rarely seen by outsiders.
\"I wanted to show how ordinary people transform fear into solidarity,\" Kaili told myglobalnews.net through a video call. Her smartphone footage reveals rows of numbered beds, tai chi sessions at dawn, and impromptu dance parties organized by medical staff – a conscious effort to maintain morale among thousands of temporary residents.
The mega-facility, operational since April 2022, represents China's approach to handling Omicron variants through centralized quarantine and rapid testing. Kaili's diary entries detail:
- Twice-daily health monitoring via smart wristbands
- AI-assisted meal distribution systems
- Volunteer-led virtual workshops on mental wellness
While critics debate the ethics of mass quarantine, Kaili focuses on the human element: \"We formed reading groups across bed clusters, shared charging stations became community hubs, and elderly patients taught us knitting. It was crisis management meets grassroots innovation.\"
Her viral social media threads have now inspired similar documentation projects in Jakarta and Mumbai, proving that even in isolation, human connections know no borders.
Reference(s):
Exclusive Stringer Dispatch: My 16 days in a temporary hospital
cgtn.com
