At a press conference held on April 15, the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau stated that the city’s current population of homeless individuals differs in some respects from the traditional understanding of vagrants or beggars. Based on current observations, they mainly fall into the following categories: those who became temporarily stranded due to hotel closures and the suspension of high-speed rail and public transportation; those who had been living at construction sites, markets, or other work locations and were forced to leave due to lockdown measures but were unable to find new accommodations; and individuals who came to Shanghai in search of jobs but failed to secure employment and, for the time being, are unwilling to leave the city. For those wishing to return to their hometowns, not only are there strict eligibility requirements, but the channels for leaving Shanghai are also severely limited. China Newsweek interviewed several individuals who managed to leave the city and return home, documenting their experiences of being stranded and their eventual departure.