Shanghai: Authorities on Tuesday let some residents move around after the financial hub went into a phased lockdown two weeks ago, an attempt to curb mounting worries about the surge in COVID-19 cases. Shanghai has now reported over 200,000 positive cases from March 1.
More than 7,00 residential units Monday were classified as lower risk areas after reporting no new infections for 14 days since. Specific compounds were permitted to open as an attempt to ease mounting economic crises.
The relaxation came amid local residents’ continuous complaints about the over-kill approach by the authorities, which hampered the deliveries of food and daily essentials, disrupted supply chains, forcibly separated children from their parents and even led to the brutal killings of pets.
Capital Beijing, port city Ningbo and Nanjing have also tightened COVID regulations and strict travel restrictions. In the central city of Wuhan, where the virus was first identified at the end of 2019, passengers taking the city metro now need to show proof of a negative Covid test, according to state media. Cities neighbouring Shanghai have enacted their own restrictions over the past week, amid fears of spillover and a possibility of multiple major outbreaks. In nearby Zhejiang province, authorities pledged to ramp up controls on people entering the region.
Meanwhile, the US on Tuesday ordered all its non-essential employees at its Shanghai consulate to leave, voicing its concerns for the safety of Americans in China. The order stemmed from the recent relaxation given by authorities in specific compounds of Shanghai that were flagged as lower-risk areas.