Scenes reminiscent of a disaster film played out at Shanghai-Pudong Airport on Monday: After several employees tested positive for the corona virus, the authorities simply sealed off the terminal and the area. Mass tests were ordered and with thousands of people affected, the moments were extremely chaotic.

How many employees tested positive is completely unclear. However, the authorities decided that all passengers and all employees would be tested and that no one could escape, the terminal and the area were cordoned off. With this drastic measure, the decision-makers wanted to prevent the virus from spreading further.

Flight operations have ceased and videos are circulating on social media of people trying to leave the terminal in panic. According to official information, there were up to 100.000 people (employees and passengers) on the area. How many passengers there were actually cannot be determined due to the difficult information policy of the People's Republic of China. This distributed videos in which people stand in line in a parking garage and wait for their testing. However, a closer look quickly reveals that the people are obviously employees.

The recordings circulating on social media show a completely different picture, namely passengers who have panicked and are trying to leave the terminal. You can also see security personnel wearing protective suits trying to stop them. In some cases, however, to no avail, as the majority of passengers are clearly in the majority.

The People's Republic of China officially announced that the police had brought the situation under control. The executive even launched a “social media counterstrike” and posted photos and videos that showed absolutely nothing of panic and tumultuous conditions. As mentioned: The people who wait well are obviously employees of the airport.

How things will go on with the people at Shanghai Airport is unclear. China uses radical methods when corona tests are positive. Mass tests are carried out immediately and entire cities are temporarily quarantined. This time it hit an airport. Allegedly, two people tested positive at Shanghai Airport on Sunday. However, it is completely unclear whether these are related to the tough measure.