In Shanghai, pandemic policing has taken a sharp turn towards the dystopian.
With year three of the covid pandemic firmly ensconced, viewing some of the world’s early responses to the virus through the prism of hindsight is a relatable distraction.
From spraying beaches with disinfectant to presidential musings on drinking bleach, it would be tempting to exclaim: “WTF were they thinking?!”
That is until we ponder one of the very latest covid-safety measures unleashed late last month in the hard-hit metropolis of Shanghai. The Chinese megacity has been in a hard covid lockdown since the end of last month, and health officials have resorted to nightmarishly dystopian measures to encourage compliance.
In scenes that mirror the most recent remake of H.G. Wells War of the Worlds which screened on SBS last year, Chinese authorities have employed the services of deeply disturbing robotic dogs to roam the city streets barking out covid safety instructions.
If you aren’t already totally freaked out by yet another wave of covid infections and lockdowns, check out this video of robo-dog in action.
Full Lockdown in Shanghai, this is how they broadcast announcements.
— Jay in Shanghai ?? (@JayinShanghai) March 29, 2022
Robot Dog + Speakers#Shanghai #COVID #Lockdown pic.twitter.com/5kJdLrnL8p
Yes, that is a loud-hailer crudely gaffer-taped to the robot’s back, and while we don’t claim fluency in Chinese language, media reports suggest the cyborg canine’s advice include such things as: “Wear a mask, wash your hands, check your temperature.”
It is hard to imagine that the robo-dogs will have a significant impact on slowing the spread of the pangolin’s revenge in Shanghai, but you can’t fault the novelty impact of being told what to do by a mechanical mutt.
More effective, perhaps, may be the use of drones in the Chinese city. These spies in the skies are not only monitoring people’s movements, they also issue much more menacing messages to the folks on the ground, such as: “Your behaviour has violated anti-pandemic rules. Please go home immediately, or you will be punished in accordance with the law.”
It rather does make your Back Page correspondent hark back to simpler times when the scariest robotic dog on the planet was Dr Who’s TARDIS companion, which answered to the name of K9.
If you see something that seems barking mad, felicity@medicalrepublic.com.au is all ears
