Shanghai residents turn to each other during lockdown

"Have you eaten potatoes today?"

Questions like this have become the most popular way for residents of a neighborhood in Shanghai's Pudong district to start a conversation with one another these days.

Undergoing a 14-day quarantine after two residents were diagnosed with COVID-19, they also shared pictures of different ways to cook potatoes-mashed potatoes, french fries and potatoes fried with other foods-and encouraged each other to buy more.

Residents have been buying potatoes from a couple of agricultural wholesalers who live in the neighborhood after learning that the 4 metric tons of potatoes that the couple had recently received to replenish their stock on Nov 20-the day the neighborhood Mingtian Huacheng at Zhoupu town was locked down-would become a source of worries.

"More than half of the 4 tons of potatoes have already been sold, and I hadn't expected that. I want to sincerely thank all my neighbors who helped us. The lockdown has somehow made us more unified," said Gu Shekang, 63.

Gu said he had planned to sell the potatoes to retailers the next morning, but people and cargo were not allowed to leave the community as it had become a medium-risk area for COVID-19.

Neighbors began to take action. They posted advertisements in WeChat groups with their fellow residents and forwarded the information while making purchases.

"I sold the potatoes at 15 yuan ($2.28) for 5 kilograms just to cover the cost. Some people even bought dozens of portions to share with neighbors," Gu said.

Gu and his wife have lived in the neighborhood, home to around 6,000 people, since 2014.

On the first two days, the couple sold the potatoes directly from their van. Later, the neighborhood committee helped them set up a booth.

Potato deals were not the only heartwarming stories happening in the community. Babies were born to families one after another, with detailed preparations and arrangements made by the community office and the hospital. When someone's pet cat suffered from acute illness, another resident, who is a veterinarian, came to the rescue.

"I believe many among us will remember these special 14 days for a long time. Life can be difficult during a lockdown, but difficulties bring people closer," said the cat's owner, surnamed Lin.

All the residents took the nucleic acid tests for the second time on Nov 25, and their results were all negative. After a rainy week, many came out of their homes on the weekend to enjoy the sunshine.

Zhou Xinyu, a 22-year-old resident in the neighborhood, said that residents have been very cooperative since the lockdown.

"We obey the quarantine for our own health and for that of many others outside," said Zhou, adding that a haircut would be first on his to-do-list after the lockdown.

More than 50 workers, including security guards, cleaners and maintenance workers, have been called to their positions to ensure the neighborhood operates normally, and they have been living there although they were not residents.

Workers from the neighborhood committee and the town's office have been divided into three groups to work around the clock, helping residents replenish their stocks of medicines, teaching the elderly to do online shopping for food and daily necessities, and responding to the needs of the community.