Rumors Of Wuhan Lockdown Rife As 'Omicron Grandson Comes Back to See His Hometown'

As COVID-19 cases surge in China, especially in Shangai which is at a breaking point, speculations are rife that Wuhan, the epicenter of the pandemic, is facing a new outbreak. Rumors of an impending lockdown in Wuhan first appeared after Taiwanese netizens in China began posting about it.

A member of the Taiwanese online forum PTT, who lives in Wuhan, put up a post saying people in the city have been receiving notifications instructing them to undergo PCR testing. The notice stated that the tests in the city, home to 11 million people, would begin at 8 p.m. that evening, reported Taiwan News.

The report added that the residents have been told to quickly return to their homes and wait to be notified by staff to go to a designated testing station and undergo nucleic acid testing in an "orderly manner." After the testing, they will receive a card indicating that they completed the test.

The notice also instructed everyone to carry this card, starting Monday (April 11). The statement added that Wuhan residents had begun lining up for testing on Sunday night.

The post in PTT triggered panic among the users that Wuhan could be soon headed to another lockdown like Shanghai. People also expressed fears that food shortages could soon hit the city. Many were baffled by the irony of how the virus was "coming full circle to its place of origin after two years."

"Many Taiwanese businessmen were told to stop work until May 1 and the era of the big shutdown is coming," one commented, while another user said, "after circling the world, the Omicron grandson comes back to see his hometown."

Some users felt that going by the "Shanghai script," the next step is lockdown of the city. "Is this the concept that all big cities are to be locked down?"

People also expressed fear about the shortage of food, while urging others to stockpile. "Now I have to stock up on instant noodles and canned food to last for at least a month," a comment read while urging others to "go grab food."

The lockdown fear was also fanned by an announcement in the Weibo account for the Wuhan Metro early Monday morning, stating that passengers would need to present green health codes and proof of a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours. The Metro has also made it mandatory for people to wear masks and scan the carriage code to report their itinerary.

This comes as reports claim Shanghai's 25 million residents remain under lockdown. The city announced a record 21,000 cases Friday. The harsh lockdown has also left the residents seething in anger as they face an increasing shortage of food and medicine.