Thread by @WilliamYang120

An Australian family's departure from #Shanghai: "We were lucky to be able to leave, but so many people are not in [that] position. I feel like we abandoned our neighbours… they were really happy that we were able to go, but I felt terrible leaving them." abc.net.au/news/2022-05-1…

"Last month, the family decided to return to Australia after seeing increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in their neighbourhood and due to fear of the government separating infected children from their parents."

"People have been taken away in the middle of the night from our lane. Screaming. It was awful," Vivian said.

"Despite the tight rules, Vivian said foreigners living in Shanghai were able to apply for an exemption to travel to the airport to leave China."

"Vivian said the family also had to pay $600 for PCR tests before they travelled and one-way flight tickets cost them $9,000."

"But their bid to leave China was further complicated after their eight-month-old daughter's passport was left in Suzhou, where they lived before moving to Shanghai."

"Shanghai's restrictions made it almost "impossible" to pick up the passport. But luckily, 48 hours before their flight, Vivian was able to retrieve the passport with the help of her husband's colleague.

This involved paying $400 for a taxi driver to pick it up and courier it to Shanghai."

Vivian said she and a fellow passenger broke down in tears from their relief at being back on Australian soil after fleeing Shanghai.

"We cried at the airport," she said.

"Shanghai officials have repeatedly emphasised that Shanghai has an abundant food supply, and the government was working hard to meet people's medical demands."

"But Vivian said her family also struggled to get enough food during lockdown.

She said the only food they received from the local government in the first 14 days was a bag of vegetables on the first day."

"Vivian said she was a member of two WeChat groups, each with about 500 expats from different countries wanting to leave Shanghai.

She said since returning to Australia she has had to put her WeChat on silent."

"I'm having trouble looking at it. I feel pretty overwhelmed if I open my chat messages and see what's still going on [in Shanghai]."

"It's not just foreigners feeling the impacts of the lockdown and wanting to flee Shanghai.

Shanghai resident Renee Yao, 23, is looking forward to leaving the lockdown to study in Melbourne later this year."

"Ms Yao has booked a flight in July but is worried her schedule might be affected if the lockdown is still in place.

She has been stuck at home since March 24 and had struggled with a shortage of food supply and mental health issues."

"I cry a lot. And sometimes I don't even know what I'm crying about afterwards," she said.

"When will this prison-like life end?"

Despite the lack of certainty around the end to Shanghai's lockdown, some Australians remain unfazed.

Chinese Australian Will Lin said he had no plans to return to Australia, as his career in the financial analysis industry had just "gotten on track".

"I prefer to stay here," he said.

Mr Lin, a Sydneysider, moved back to China in early in 2020 for Lunar New Year just before the pandemic hit.

He said his experience of Shanghai's lockdown wasn't as bad as some others, despite being stuck in a hotel for 42 days.

"I don't need to worry about food. Our hotel provided breakfast and they ordered food deliveries for us for lunch and dinner," he said.

"We have heating and air-conditioning."