This story is about a good friend of mine; it's both funny and sad. During this special period, his father needed surgery. Everything was arranged, but how could he leave the compound? There was a policy then: the sub-district office made him sign a guarantee letter stating that once he left the compound, he temporarily couldn't return. He signed, thinking he would stay with his father at the hospital during the surgery.
Traveling from Pudong to Puxi then was like passing through five passes and defeating six generals – extremely difficult. Finally arriving at the hospital, they accepted his father as usual but told him, "It's a special epidemic prevention period. The hospital has nursing aides. Family members aren't allowed to stay. You can go back." He was dumbfounded. In Shanghainese slang, he was "lost all directions – completely stuck! Because he couldn't go back home now, he could only drive back, again navigating the numerous checks, to the compound entrance and live in his car. For seven consecutive days, he relied on his wife feeding him at the compound gate. He used nearby public toilets.
Living this half-human, half-ghost existence, he was eventually discovered by the police. They found the car strange – why was it parked on the street during the lockdown? After understanding the situation, arranged by the police, he moved into a rudimentary quarantine tent nearby, living with some out-of-town delivery and courier guys. Meanwhile, his wife, heavily pregnant, kept contacting the sub-district office and compound property management. Finally, they gave the green light for him to enter.
According to his wife's recollection, when she saw him, she barely recognized him as her husband. But the family reunion was still a good thing!