Workers stand next to food cans to be delivered to the neighborhood during the Covid-19 coronavirus blockade in Shanghai’s Jing’an district on May 7. HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP / Getty Images
Authorities in Shanghai have tightened a blockade of COVID across the city, which they imposed more than a month ago, extending a test in late May that the Chinese capital Beijing desperately wanted to avoid by turning mass tests into an almost daily routine.
The 25-million mall is boosting the number of cases outside the most restrictive areas to zero by the second half of May, Reuters told reporters.
People said traffic restrictions would generally remain during the month due to fears of recovery, although the number of cases is declining. Authorities in some areas have issued notices ordering people to return to their housing estates after releasing them for short walks or quick shopping.
In a video widely circulated on Chinese social media, police in protective suits argued with residents who were told they should be quarantined after a neighbor tested positive.
“This is so that we can completely eliminate all positive cases,” said one police officer. “Stop asking me why, there’s no reason. We must adhere to national guidelines. “
Reuters was unable to independently verify the video.
The Shanghai government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prolonged isolation and fear of being sent to quarantine centers, which sometimes lack showers and other basic conditions, have caused widespread frustration, even quarrels.
Videos released online last week show dozens of workers at Apple and Tesla Quanta outperforming security guards in protective suits and jumping factory gates to avoid being trapped in rumors of COVID.
COVID’s strict restrictions in Beijing, Shanghai and dozens of other major cities in China have dealt a psychological blow to people, straining the world’s second-largest economy and disrupting global supply chains and international trade.
The measures contrast sharply with much of the world, which eases or removes the restrictions on COVID to live with the virus, even when infections are spreading.
Beijing has closed gyms and entertainment venues, banned restaurant services and closed many bus routes and nearly 15% of its extensive subway system, while many residents have voluntarily avoided going outside.
“This is quite strange,” said a 50-year-old Beijing resident named Ding as he took a picture of an empty street leading to a closed subway station. “For the first time in all my years in Beijing, I see empty streets in the middle of summer. It is magical.”
Businesses that remained open did not see many customers because people did not want to do anything that could bring them closer to infected people and force them into quarantine.
“To the north of us are malls and offices that are sealed and their applications can mark them as close contacts if they come,” said a barber named Song, referring to mobile surveillance software that all residents should use.
“This epidemic has really worried everyone.”
In a teleconference with other senior officials, Premier Li Keqiang promised on Saturday to support “as many employers as possible”, especially among small and medium-sized companies, in order to keep people in their jobs, state media reported.
China’s unemployment rate was 5.8% in March, the highest since May 2020, while in 31 major cities it reached a record 6.0%. The complete blockade of Shanghai in April and stricter restrictions elsewhere since then have hit the labor market even harder.
Despite the costs, the Chinese authorities are adamant in their commitment to eliminate the coronavirus. Last week, authorities threatened to crack down on critics of zero COVID policy.
Regular tests will become part of everyday life in many cities, as officials hope this can help detect and isolate infections early enough to avoid mass closures and traffic restrictions.
On Sunday, residents lined up for a new round of tests in Beijing’s Chaoyang, Fangshan and Fengtai districts and small parts of others. In a large Chaoyang complex, two people were moving through loudspeakers emitting a repetitive message reminding residents to be tested.
Many residents, even if they are not subjected to mass tests, still have to show a recent negative result in order to start work or enter different places.
Shanghai, which conducted 63 million PCR tests and 126 million rapid antigen tests last week, will also continue to conduct daily screening, city officials said.
Shanghai and other cities are also building thousands of permanent PCR test stations.
The daily incidence of COVID in Beijing is dozens, much lower than in Shanghai at the time of its outbreak, when infections were in triple digits and rising.
Cases in Shanghai fell for the ninth day, according to data from Sunday, but thousands remained, prompting warnings against complacency from party and city officials.
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