You're listening to an AirWave Media Podcast.

Hey everyone! So I've been hard at work hammering through the crazy back half of the Jungda

Emperor's reign in the 16th century, and I thought I was on track for my usual fortnightly release

schedule. But then, as you might have heard, something kind of weird started happening here.

First, individual regions of my city started locking down, but we were told it was fine,

don't listen to those crazy rumors, everything was normal. Then one day, my school was simply told

that everyone needed to be immediately tested, students and staff alike, and that no one could leave

the property until they got the results back. It took hours, well into the evening. As it turned out,

we were pretty lucky. All the schools in Shanghai had been forced to undergo similar testing,

and some of the less fortunate ones were sealed inside for an indefinite period.

Other places and individuals found themselves suddenly sealed inside wherever they happened to be

at the time. Their office building, a hotpot restaurant, their gym,

or days upon days of isolation and testing, confusion and frustration.

About a week later, the schools were told that they were going to close down entirely.

Learning from home for the entire city would return, just as we'd done for what amounted to

half a year back in 2020. Now entire districts were being locked down, including my own and then

subjected to daily testing. Protocols and plans seemed to shift day by day. We saw and are

still seeing the system overwhelmed and confused in a way it simply had never been before.

Finally, a city-wide strategy was announced, a complete lockdown of the city of Shanghai.

But in halves. First, the eastern half Pudong would be closed down. No cars, no taxis,

no metros, no buses. Everyone was just to stay put in their apartments.

After that, it would be the eastern half's turn for the same.

...