When taking out the trash in the afternoon, I saw that the entrance to my unit had been cordoned off. It indicates that someone in the unit has tested positive. Of course, I knew this day would come, but it's still a bit hard to accept. Since April 1st, the neighborhood has been completely sealed off for over two weeks, yet positive cases keep emerging. There could be no more than three possible reasons. Either it was transmitted during collective nucleic acid testing, or due to group purchases, or because someone in the neighborhood secretly visited or gathered. At present, none of these three points seem controllable, indicating that the lifting of restrictions is still a distant prospect. However, strict control measures can indeed slow down the spread.
Shanghai's epidemic prevention this time has issues. Are there better ways? Compared to the situation abroad, has Shanghai done better? I don't know. Assuming that all the measures the government is currently taking are the best choices, the objective weakness lies in Shanghai's population or per capita medical resources. How many years will it take for Shanghai's per capita medical level to be comparable to developed countries? I can't see it happening in the short term, maybe not in the next 10 to 20 years. If Shanghai can't do it, then other parts of China can't either, so the country as a whole can't.
The resources I care about are mainly a few: healthcare and education. If you don't want children, then you don't even need to consider education. Healthcare is crucial for daily illnesses, elderly care, and more. Small countries may have good per capita healthcare, but the level may not be sufficient. It takes well-established developed countries with slightly larger populations. Western Europe, North America, Japan, Singapore, and so on. In that case, maybe going abroad is still necessary?
Why did I return to my home country in the first place? Cultural integration, language, work - these are the three major obstacles. The most challenging is work, the smaller the population of a country, the less likely it is to be respectable.