Shanghai began a city-wide, two-phase lockdown on Monday to test its 25 million residents as daily local cases hit a new peak in its worst Covid-19 outbreak to date.
In the first phase, the financial district of Pudong and surrounding areas, located east of the Huangpu River, which divides the city, will be isolated between Monday and Friday, while areas west of the river will go into lockdown from Friday to Tuesday (5). , according to a statement made on Sunday by the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission.
China’s financial hub had previously denied that it intended to impose a city-wide lockdown. Also on Saturday, local health officials said Shanghai would not enter a total lockdown as it would have a negative impact on national and global economies.
However, despite imposing strict restrictions such as the partial lockdown of homes and offices, local infections produced by the omicron variant continued to skyrocket. The city reported 3,500 new cases on Sunday, the highest daily number since the start of the pandemic, bringing the total in this outbreak to more than 16,000.
Wu Fan, a member of the team of anti-Covid experts in Shanghai, told a news conference on Monday that the city had found localized clusters of infections, as well as some scattered cases across the city — so there is a potential risk of a broader community outbreak as one all.
The citywide lockdown is a “most decisive and resolute measure” to “reduce the movement of people, quickly find new Covid cases and completely eliminate hidden transmission of the virus in the community,” Wu said.
In blocked areas, all residents must stay indoors. Authorities will suspend public transport – including buses, subways and ferries – as well as taxis and app drivers. Unauthorized vehicles will not be allowed to travel on the streets.
In these areas, all companies can only operate with reduced hours and personnel limits or have their employees work from home, with the exception of utility companies that provide basic services and are involved in the running of the city, such as the distribution of water, electricity , gas and food supply.
The statement highlighted the need to guarantee the supply of everyday needs at stable prices. She also called for facilitating care for residents with special needs, such as pregnant women and cancer patients, who need to be hospitalized.
After the statement, Tesla intends to suspend production at its Shanghai factory for at least one day, Bloomberg reported.
The lockdown will likely disrupt the lives of people already frustrated by weeks of strict control measures.
Many residents who were recently put under severe restrictions found it difficult to buy food, and prices for some products soared. A local resident surnamed You told the magazine
Caixin who, due to limited daily supplies, his mother had to leave the house at 5 am for several days to find vegetables at a market.
He also saw a line of up to 100 meters in front of a supermarket on Sunday when he tried to buy fresh vegetables.
According to a chat group You frequents, a Pudong resident said she and others who live in the neighborhood are finding it difficult to order food delivery online due to restrictions.
On Wednesday, Shanghai saw the first death linked to Covid restrictions in its latest outbreak, when a nurse died of an asthma attack after being refused entry to the hospital where she worked.
The latest cases have raised questions about whether Shanghai can effectively balance its Covid response with people’s basic needs, after the city last year won plaudits for quickly bringing local outbreaks under control.
