The media have painted them as brave civil servants risking their lives to be able to protect people.
But after Shangai was placed under lockdown the white-suited workers, also known as the "Big Whites", have turned into a symbol of brutality.
As videos emerged of them allegedly beating residents, dragging people out of their homes to quarantine, mauling pets to death, and destroying private properties, the "Big Whites" have drawn a sharp reaction.
