Videos shared online by author Fang Shimin and others showed Ikea shoppers trying to escape the store on Saturday before authorities could close the doors. The rush to get out came after an announcement at the Ikea store revealed that authorities would close the store and not allow anyone in or out. At one point, a large group of shoppers forced their way past police who were trying to lock them inside. Those who failed to escape were stuck inside for more than four hours before being taken to nearby hotels for quarantine, Bloomberg reported, citing an eyewitness account on Chinese social media. IKEA Xuhui in Shanghai wanted to ban entry and exit to cooperate with epidemiological investigations, scaring customers to leave quickly. Don’t go shopping in China until the virus is gone, remember. pic.twitter.com/dAWbpbln7v — Fang Zhouzi (@fangshimin) August 14, 2022 State health officials in Shanghai later confirmed that they had implemented “temporary control measures” at the Ikea store and some surrounding areas. The lockdown followed after authorities learned that someone shopping at the Ikea store had been exposed to a six-year-old with an asymptomatic case of COVID-19. Shoppers stuck inside will be forced to quarantine on site for two days and then undergo five days of health monitoring, said Zhao Dandan, deputy director of the Shanghai Health Commission, according to Bloomberg. Ikea’s Shanghai location was closed until Monday and was expected to reopen on Tuesday, the company said in a statement. The Post has reached out to Ikea for further comment. Ikea shoppers in China forced past authorities.TwitterThe Ikea store in Shanghai is set to reopen on Tuesday.Future Publishing via Getty Imag China has introduced controversial “zero COVID” measures in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Residents of Shanghai and other cities have faced sporadic lockdowns for months. At one point earlier this year, Shanghai was under lockdown for two months, with locals unable to leave their homes. In May, videos surfaced on social media showing workers rioting at an Apple supplier factory in Shanghai due to the lockdowns. The plant was one of several facilities that adopted a “closed-loop” system in which workers were forced to work, eat and sleep on site or in nearby “bubbles”. China has adopted controversial “zero COVID” measures. AFP via Getty Images Beijing has faced widespread criticism for its draconian approach to the virus. Earlier this month, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey tweeted “the end of the CCP” — a reference to the Chinese Communist Party — while sharing a CNN report detailing strict “Zero COVID” rules in Beijing. The measures have included mandatory tests for COVID-19 with color-coded access to public spaces depending on the results, as well as health-monitoring apps that have exacerbated fears of state surveillance.
