Veterinarian Yu Zhe, who has been living alone in the Shanghai PAW Veterinary Hospital for two months because of the closed-loop management implemented due to the COVID-19 outbreak, was finally able to return home on Tuesday when the city officially lifted its lockdown.

Since April 1, Yu has been solely in charge of caring for the nearly 20 pets hospitalized in the facility. She also provided assistance to pet owners living in the vicinity.

But getting to go home does not mean that Yu will be taking a break.

"When I announced in the WeChat group with pet owners that our hospital would resume normal operations on Wednesday, the group suddenly became lively," said Yu, who is also the deputy director of the Shanghai Pet Industry Association.

"The vet appointments for Wednesday and Thursday were booked up quickly. About 20 pets will be coming to the hospital every day. We are now arranging the appointments for Friday and the weekend."

To deal with the surge in appointments, Yu has arranged for three more staff to work on Wednesday.

She pointed out that with more vets returning to work, the number of pet owners seeking help online has also decreased significantly compared to April.