BEIJING, China, May 17 ------ Most of Shanghai has stopped the spread of the coronavirus at the community level and fewer than 1 million people remain under strict lockdown, authorities said as China's largest city moves toward reopening and economic data showed the gloomy impact of Beijing's zero-Covid policy.
Shanghai Vice Mayor Zong Ming said 15 out of the financial hub's 16 districts had eliminated virus transmission among those not already in quarantine. "The epidemic in our city is under effective control. Prevention measures have achieved incremental success," she declared at a news briefing. Supermarkets, malls and restaurants were allowed to reopen on May 16 with limits on the numbers of people and mandated "no contact" transactions. But restrictions on movement remain in place and the subway train system remains closed for now.
Even as case numbers fall, city and national authorities have sent mixed messages about the state of Shanghai's outbreak and when life can return to normal in the city of 25 million, where many residents have been confined to their homes, compounds and neighborhoods for more than 50 days. A prospective date of June 1 has been given for a full reopening. Zong said authorities "remain sober" about the possibility of the outbreak rebounding, particularly as reports of new infections continue to come in from centralized isolation centers and older, rundown neighborhoods. "Citywide, our prevention efforts are still not firmly enough established and it requires all of our continuing hard work and the cooperation of the broad masses of citizens and friends...to restore the normal running of the city in an orderly fashion," she added.
Shanghai's ruthless and frequently chaotic implementation of virus restrictions has sparked protests over the lack of food, medical care, freedom of movement and already highly limited privacy rights. Despite that, China has rejected all criticisms of its zero-Covid policy, including from the World Health Organization. The ruling Communist Party says it is committed to "resolutely fighting any attempts to distort, question or dismiss China's anti-Covid policy." China reported 1,159 new infections on May 16, the vast majority of these in Shanghai. Almost all were asymptomatic.
In Beijing, where a much smaller outbreak has led to mass testing and a lockdown imposed building by building, 54 cases were reported. Authorities have ordered people to work from home, moved schools online and limited restaurants to take-out services only in the capital.
China's strict lockdowns have played havoc with employment, supply chains and the economy in general, and fresh data released on May 16 showed factory and consumer activity was even weaker than expected in April. Retail sales plunged 11.1 percent, while manufacturing output sank 2.9 percent after factories closed and those that kept operating with employees living at their workplace were forced to reduce output due to disruption in supplies of components.
Source: manilatimes.net