Shanghai/Beijing: Shanghai The long-awaited milestone of three consecutive days was achieved on Tuesday, with no new Covid-19 cases outside the quarantine zones, but most residents would have been in confinement for a while before returning to a more normal life.
For other cities in China that are under lockdown, no new cases in the community on the third day usually means “zero”. covid“Situation and beginning of lifting of restrictions.
The commercial hub of 25 million on Monday set its own clear timetable for an exit from the lockdown, now in its seventh week, but the plan was met with skepticism by many residents, who have repeatedly witnessed isolation.
Shanghai plans to resume outdoor activities this week with some convenience stores and pharmacies, but with most restrictions on movement remaining until May 21, after which public transport and other services will gradually resume.
By June, the lockdown should be lifted, but residents will still be asked to get tested frequently.
More people were allowed out of their homes this week, some joggers and dog walkers were seen. A man was seen fishing in the Shanghai River.
But many residential complexes were surrounded by long fences and there were almost no private cars on the roads and most people were still confined to their homes.
It was unclear how many shops reopened this week, but the delivery app on Tuesday indicated a slight decrease in demand for its services.
A social media account run by communist partyThe U.S.’s official People’s Daily newspaper posted photos on Monday evening that it said showed breakfast joints, restaurants and hairdressers opening.
But a social media user called the post ‘nonsense’.
“We’ve been locked in the house for two months… this story is for someone other than the people of Shanghai.”
As of Tuesday morning, the post had been deleted.
A video posted by another state-backed media outlet announces the reopening of Alibaba Freshipo grocery stores, with about 10 employees in hazmat suits making a heart shape with their hands, but only two people who Looked like shopkeepers.
A sign was displayed at the door of the shop asking customers to show a negative COVID test, a pass showing they were allowed to leave the house and an up-to-date mobile phone health app to enter.
Only 20 customers are allowed into the store at a time.
Overall, Shanghai reported less than 1,000 new cases for May 16, all under strict controls in containment zones. In relatively free zones, monitored to assess progress in containing the outbreak, no new cases were found for the third day.
‘Constant drag’
Beijing’s latest daily caseload stood at 52, despite gradually tightening restrictions over the past three weeks as officials discovered a few dozen new infections on an almost daily basis.
Dine-in services have been banned in the capital, some malls and other businesses are closed, public transport has been suspended and many residents have been advised to work from home.
Data this week wreaked havoc on the economy, with a lockdown in Shanghai and retail sales and industrial production in dozens of other major cities falling at their sharpest pace in more than two years in April.
China’s adamant “zero COVID” policy has placed millions of consumers and workers under various restrictions at a time when the rest of the world is lifting them to “live with the virus”, even as infections spread. Used to be.
But the difficulty of eliminating new outbreaks, as shown BeijingU.S. struggles raise concerns over the stability of any return to normal life in Shanghai and elsewhere after the lifting of sanctions.
China’s steadfast commitment to a zero-Covid policy, no matter the economic cost, means the approach will be questioned.
“The speed of recovery depends on the speed of normalization in Shanghai and Beijing and how fast confidence in the private sector will return,” Societe Generale strategists said in a note.
“At both points, a zero-Covid strategy can pull off consistently.”
For other cities in China that are under lockdown, no new cases in the community on the third day usually means “zero”. covid“Situation and beginning of lifting of restrictions.
The commercial hub of 25 million on Monday set its own clear timetable for an exit from the lockdown, now in its seventh week, but the plan was met with skepticism by many residents, who have repeatedly witnessed isolation.
Shanghai plans to resume outdoor activities this week with some convenience stores and pharmacies, but with most restrictions on movement remaining until May 21, after which public transport and other services will gradually resume.
By June, the lockdown should be lifted, but residents will still be asked to get tested frequently.
More people were allowed out of their homes this week, some joggers and dog walkers were seen. A man was seen fishing in the Shanghai River.
But many residential complexes were surrounded by long fences and there were almost no private cars on the roads and most people were still confined to their homes.
It was unclear how many shops reopened this week, but the delivery app on Tuesday indicated a slight decrease in demand for its services.
A social media account run by communist partyThe U.S.’s official People’s Daily newspaper posted photos on Monday evening that it said showed breakfast joints, restaurants and hairdressers opening.
But a social media user called the post ‘nonsense’.
“We’ve been locked in the house for two months… this story is for someone other than the people of Shanghai.”
As of Tuesday morning, the post had been deleted.
A video posted by another state-backed media outlet announces the reopening of Alibaba Freshipo grocery stores, with about 10 employees in hazmat suits making a heart shape with their hands, but only two people who Looked like shopkeepers.
A sign was displayed at the door of the shop asking customers to show a negative COVID test, a pass showing they were allowed to leave the house and an up-to-date mobile phone health app to enter.
Only 20 customers are allowed into the store at a time.
Overall, Shanghai reported less than 1,000 new cases for May 16, all under strict controls in containment zones. In relatively free zones, monitored to assess progress in containing the outbreak, no new cases were found for the third day.
‘Constant drag’
Beijing’s latest daily caseload stood at 52, despite gradually tightening restrictions over the past three weeks as officials discovered a few dozen new infections on an almost daily basis.
Dine-in services have been banned in the capital, some malls and other businesses are closed, public transport has been suspended and many residents have been advised to work from home.
Data this week wreaked havoc on the economy, with a lockdown in Shanghai and retail sales and industrial production in dozens of other major cities falling at their sharpest pace in more than two years in April.
China’s adamant “zero COVID” policy has placed millions of consumers and workers under various restrictions at a time when the rest of the world is lifting them to “live with the virus”, even as infections spread. Used to be.
But the difficulty of eliminating new outbreaks, as shown BeijingU.S. struggles raise concerns over the stability of any return to normal life in Shanghai and elsewhere after the lifting of sanctions.
China’s steadfast commitment to a zero-Covid policy, no matter the economic cost, means the approach will be questioned.
“The speed of recovery depends on the speed of normalization in Shanghai and Beijing and how fast confidence in the private sector will return,” Societe Generale strategists said in a note.
“At both points, a zero-Covid strategy can pull off consistently.”