BEIJING, aEUR” China’s capital has opened school in one of its major districts following a new COVID-19 epidemic linked to a nightclub. However, life in Shanghai has not returned to normal despite a two-month-long lockdown.
China has remained true to its “zero COVID” policy, which requires mass testing, quarantines, and the sequestering for anyone who comes in contact with infected persons in areas where hygiene is poor.
After an infected person visited Heaven Supermarket in downtown Gongti on Thursday, 166 cases were linked to it. The majority of those affected were customers while 145 were employees or people who had contact with customers in the past.
The entire area was closed along with adjacent Sanlitun shopping- and dining complex until further notice.
Authorities in Chaoyang, a sprawling district, were forced to shut down schools due to the outbreak. However students who took middle and high school placement exams were not affected. The city has also suspended all sports events.
Chaoyang ordered daily mass testing. There were long lines and wait times of at least two hours.
Three positive tests were found June 9 in Shanghai among Red Rose Beauty Salon patrons. 502 people were linked to the incident. These individuals are from 15 districts in the city, which is home to 25 million people. This led to the first major restrictions since June 1, when the lockdown was officially ended.
Streets and supermarkets were again emptied over the weekend after mass testing and restrictions on movement.
Refusing to submit to testing could result in a yellow code being placed on the person’s health app. This will prohibit them from accessing all public places.
Students tend to stay at home, and most restaurants offer take-out only. Many customers enjoy their food and drinks on the steps next to the flowering bushes.
22 million Shanghai residents were released almost two weeks ago from lockdown, but 220,000 are still restricted to their homes by a rule that requires that no positive cases be found in their residential areas for more than 10 consecutive days. 600,000. More than 600,000. are also in control zones. Their movements are restricted within their compound.
Residents who are still locked down continue to complain about the presence of steel corrugated fences and other barriers blocking their neighborhoods and businesses.
Lockdowns are enforced with little information and poor distribution of food, which has resulted in rarely seen acts of anger and despair. Residents confronted police and workers who, because of their protective gear, circulated videos online showing protests and organized pot-banging and screaming nights to vent their frustrations.
The loosening restrictions caused a mass exodus from non-Shanghai residents (including foreigners) who were trapped in the lockdown.
Beijing only reported 51 cases of the new outbreak on Monday, with 22 of those asymptomatic. Residents of the city are still subject to regular testing, usually every other day. They must wear masks and swipe their mobile phones to gain access to public areas and aid in case tracing.
China has continued to pursue its zero-COVID policy, despite significant economic costs and the assertion by the head of World Health Organization that it isn’t sustainable.
China only reported 143 cases nationwide, nearly all of them in Beijing and Shanghai. At 5,226, the death toll from the epidemic in mainland China was unchanged.
