Authorities in Shanghai have reportedly ordered the media to refrain from using the term “lock” while announcing the end of the city’s two-month blockade.
This week, the 25 million-strong Chinese city opened its doors, allowing most to leave their homes, go to work and use public transportation after more than 60 days inside. On Thursday, according to expired directives from the city, Chinese media were told to spread information about the changes in the restrictions, but were ordered not to use the phrase “end the blockade”.
“Unlike Wuhan, Shanghai has never announced a blockade, so there is no ‘end to the blockade,'” the censorship directives released to the media on Tuesday said, according to the China Digital Times.
“All parts of Shanghai were subjected to static control and shutdown, but the main functions of the city continued to function during this period. Emphasize that the measures related to them were temporary, conditional and limited. “
The China Digital Times has warned that such directives are sometimes delivered to publishers orally, so wording may not be accurate. The Guardian did not independently verify the document.
For more than two months, Shanghai residents were largely locked in their apartments or residential communities or taken to centralized quarantine centers, often simply to live in the same building as the case. The first weeks of the blockade were food shortages and problems with access to medical care. Plants and factories that were not closed had to operate in closed-loop systems, often with staff living on site.
On Thursday, curbs were removed for about 22.5 million people in low-risk areas. Residents still have to wear masks in public places and avoid gatherings, and eating in restaurants remains prohibited. The shops can operate at 75% capacity, while the gyms will reopen at a later date.
The lifting of the restrictions came when authorities declared the outbreak “effectively controlled”, but the directives also called on the media to stress that the relaxed measures were “conditional”.
“It is by no means the case that everyone in every neighborhood in the city will be free to go out at once, nor is it the same relaxation,” it said.
On Thursday, a Shanghai-based journalist, Thomas Yau, said his neighborhood had already been returned to a blockade because of an incident walking down the street.
The chaos of the blockade of Shanghai drew serious criticism of China’s commitment to zero Covid policy and was a source of embarrassment for Shanghai authorities, who had tried to avoid it. The resource-intensive policy was effective during the pandemic, but the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant called into question common health surveillance methods, mass tests and targeted or regional blockades.
Despite the challenges, China’s leadership remains committed to politics. Areas of Beijing have also been blocked or ordered to work from home, while the city has also imposed widespread public transport stops and other traffic restrictions that began to be lifted last week.
Several cities and provinces have launched “routine” testing regimes that require regular negative PCR testing – ranging from two to seven days – in exchange for freedom of movement. Some areas require a weekly test. In Shanghai, people have to take a negative test every 72 hours, and those with a positive test and their close contacts face severe quarantine.
Reuters contributed to this report
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