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16 million people to be locked down in Shanghai's toughest Covid test yet
Shanghai Covid cases: On Wednesday there were nearly 6,000 Covid cases - an increase from the more than 4,400 reported on Tuesday and 3,500 on Monday.
Some 16 million people living in China's Shanghai will be locked down for four days - starting Friday morning residents in the western half of the city cannot leave their homes even to walk a pet - as officials race to control a Covid outbreak that has disrupted daily life in the global financial hub. Restrictions that begin Friday are the second of a two-phase city-wide lockdown. The first involved closing the eastern half, which is home to nine million people and includes key financial and business districts. The western half will lockdown two hours before the eastern side of the city is released.
The new lockdown will be more complicated given the greater number of people and larger geographical area, Ma Chunlei, the city’s secretary general, said. Authorities will consult experts and review results of mass Covid tests before fully lifting restrictions in eastern Shanghai, he said.
READ: Shanghai confines residents to their homes as Covid cases peak
The spread of the highly transmissible omicron strain in Shanghai is the biggest test yet for president Xi Jinping's dual goals of eliminating the virus while minimising adverse economic and social impacts.
China’s manufacturing activity contracted in March, when the tech hub of Shenzhen was shut down, and the impact of Shanghai restrictions have yet to be felt, meaning a further slowdown is likely.
Shanghai authorities had earlier ruled out a city-wide lockdown amid fears it could 'impact the global economy' given the city's role as a global shipping and money hub. Some restrictions were introduced though, with negative Covid tests needed for people to move around in public.
READ: Shanghai goes into two-phased lockdown as Covid spreads
On Wednesday the city reported nearly 6,000 infections, prompting parts of the western half to be locked down ahead of schedule. On Tuesday there were over 4,400 cases reported and on Monday there were 3,500 cases.
The city reported new cases in the single digits at the start of March.
Shanghai officials have also said they will carry out large-scale disinfection of major public places - including offices and homes, construction sites, public transport, and markets - for a month, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
While the measures appear necessary to control the virus' spread, they have irked Shanghai residents and brought pressure on China's 'zero Covid' strategy.
Residents forced to quarantine in makeshift centres have complained about the conditions and the death of a nurse - who was refused treatment for asthma by the hospital she worked at - have highlighted medical infrastructure woes.
China has reported a record number of Covid cases this month - over 70,000 so far - as omicron and its BA.2 sub-variant spread relentlessly.
With input from Bloomberg, Reuters
