The Shanghai authorities today imposed more restrictions on the covid-19 ban imposed on the city’s 25 million residents two months ago, taking another step towards the complete lifting of the lockdown that had angered the Chinese and caused economic problems. .
Many measures had already eased in recent weeks as the number of new covid-19 cases dropped significantly. But Shanghai residents could only leave their homes for a few hours a day, provided they lived in groups where no cases had been reported.
This morning, the residents of the city took to the streets again for their jobs, while some shops were preparing to reopen. The metro and public transport were back in operation.
“This is a long-awaited moment,” Shanghai City Hall said on social media.
However, the authorities have warned that the return to normalcy will not come yet: shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies and beauty salons can operate at 75% of their capacity. Gyms and cinemas will remain closed, while schools will reopen on a case-by-case basis.
Yesterday, Tuesday, the big yellow railings that had been preventing the residents from leaving their homes for two months were removed.
The lockdown in China’s largest city caused shock and indignation among its residents. In the face of the large increase in covid-19 cases in March, local authorities ruled out a lockdown. But in early April, they reconsidered their stance and imposed severely restrictive measures on all Shanghai residents.
Many of them expressed outrage at the problems they faced in accessing food or health services that were not related to the pandemic.
The lockdown in Shanghai was the second largest in China since the pandemic began. In 2020, the lockdown in Wuhan, the city where the new coronavirus case was first detected and the first to be quarantined, lasted 76 days.
Moreover, the severe restrictive measures imposed hit the economy, reduced production and consumption, and significantly affected supply chains.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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