TAIPEI, Taiwan—Several districts in Shanghai put up metal barriers recently as part of the city’s battle against a COVID-19 outbreak, in a move that drew protests and anger from some residents.
Workers in white head-to-toe protective gear erected mesh wire fences and metal sheets to block off roads, residential communities and even the entrances of some apartment buildings. A majority of the city’s 25 million residents had already been prevented from leaving their homes during a month-long lockdown, though some neighborhoods have since opened up.
The barriers are deployed to ensure control over movement and often leave only a small entrance that can be easily guarded.
…