(Yicai Global) April 6 -- After Shanghai locked down in two phases from March 28, the city opened a green channel for pregnant women and the elderly in need of medical attention. Zhang Feifei, an editor at Yicai Global and 30 weeks pregnant, shared her experience of a recent obstetrics appointment this week.

“On April 4, I contacted the neighborhood committee staff through WeChat, explained the reason and date of my hospital visit, and applied for a pass to get to there during the lockdown. A woman surnamed Ding advised me to take precautions and be safe.

At 7.40 a.m. on April 6, my husband and I drove out of our compound and headed to the hospital. Few cars could be seen in the streets, which would normally be packed during the morning rush hour.

We arrived at the Shanghai Changning Maternity & Infant Hospital, located downtown, at 8 a.m. During the Covid-19 outbreak, the hospital's emergency room has been open 24 hours a day, while outpatients can see a doctor if they have had a negative test result within the previous 48 hours.

Looking down from the clinic room on the second floor, we could see that there were dozens of cars on the street near the hospital gate at 8.20 a.m., mostly bringing pregnant women and their families to the hospital.

Entering the hospital, we could see that various departments such as registration and examination were operating in an orderly manner.

Some doctors said that since the start of the recent outbreak of Covid-19, they have been staying in the hospital for a week or even two weeks at a time in case of emergencies.

Editor: Tom Litting