Lines of police cars with flashing lights, hundreds of officers on patrol: Shanghai’s streets were under heavy surveillance on Monday night after weekend protests against the authorities’ zero-covid strategy, AFP reported.

Anger has grown since the deadly fire in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi, with many blaming draconian measures against the outbreak for hampering relief efforts.

Mass rallies took place in central Shanghai on Sunday, where police clashed with protesters heading towards Ulumuchi Street, the Mandarin name for the city of Urumqi.

There was a police presence in the area again on Monday, and during the day AFP saw police arresting four people and then releasing one.

Roads that had been closed the day before were reopened to traffic, but also with an increased police presence. An AFP reporter found streets in several blocks on Vulumuchi Street blocked off by blue metal barriers installed overnight.

He counted 12 police cars along 100 meters of Wulumuchi Street in Shanghai.

“The atmosphere is tense tonight. There are a lot of police around,” an eyewitness told AFP after dark. Taku said he had lost his job at an international airline because of the pandemic and believed the protests were justified.

“The rest of the world has reopened, but China remains paralyzed by a zero-covid policy… This city is going crazy,” he added, “waiting impatiently for something to happen.”

Another young man told AFP that police had specifically asked him if he had downloaded foreign apps to his phone, a question many Chinese apparently had to answer, according to reports on social media.

“Normal checks”

A 30-year-old employee of a nearby store complained about the drop in business. “The atmosphere is strange, but I don’t feel in danger,” she said.

The main People’s Square nearby was closed to visitors on Monday evening, and nearby bars confirmed to AFP that they had been ordered to close at 10pm (1400 GMT) for a “pollution check”.

Groups of police officers in reflective vests took up positions at each subway exit.

But overall, the atmosphere was pretty calm on Monday night. AFP just saw a team of four policemen stop two young men, search their bags and check their cameras and mobile phones, before letting them go after what police said was a “routine check”.

Police were also beefed up around the town hall, with dozens of police vans and mobile units parked along the road.