Shanghai’s international airport momentarily descended into chaos Sunday night, after authorities ordered a mass testing drive in response to a small outbreak of Covid-19 linked to several cargo handlers.
Since the beginning of November, seven cargo workers and their close contacts at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport have been diagnosed as confirmed coronavirus cases, including two reported on Sunday.
In a bid to contain the cluster, authorities ordered all cargo staff at the airport to undergo coronavirus tests overnight and set up a temporary testing site on the second floor of a parking garage, according to a statement from the Shanghai government.
上海浦东机场发现一个新冠病例，机场人员冲出严防死守包围圈，这场面，像大片。 pic.twitter.com/xNoCaJOWuS
— 方舟子 (@fangshimin) November 22, 2020
Photos and videos circulating on Chinese social media show hundreds of people packed closely together inside the garage — the opposite of social distancing — with a line of people in hazmat suits trying to hold back crowds pushing forward.
