Elderly Shanghai Man’s Pleas for Help Censored in China
- Local official tells 82-year-old he’s near his breaking point
- Shanghai lockdown is major test of Xi Jinping’s leadership
Residents take part in a round of Covid-19 testing in a neighborhood placed under lockdown in Shanghai.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
China has censored an audio clip of an elderly man in Shanghai begging a local official for help seeing a doctor, a sign of the pressure confronting the government as it enforces an increasingly unpopular lockdown on the financial hub of 25 million people.
“I can’t stand it now. I’ve finished all my medication,” a man identified by state media as Yu Wenming says in a phone call. “My throat hurts,” the 82-year-old adds, though it’s unclear why he’s sick. “My temperature is spiraling up.”