China: Shanghai one step closer to exiting the lockdown

One step closer to a gradual opening after two months of lockdown is Shanghai, while Beijing maintains measures against Covid that have the effect of drastically reducing travel despite the fact that coronavirus cases are declining.

The goal of the Shanghai authorities is to effectively end the lockdown in the metropolis from Wednesday. Since last week, more and more residents are allowed to move out of the house and more businesses to reopen, although many residents remain confined to the complexes in which they live and most stores can only serve customers through distribution services.

Shanghai officials have continued to urge residents to be vigilant. “Wear masks in public places, do not overcrowd and keep your social distance,” Zhao Dandan, deputy head of the Shanghai Municipal Health Committee, told a news conference.

Videos posted on social media show citizens having fun on the streets in a central part of the city last night, consuming alcohol and dancing, with police interrupting them and asking them to return home. Another video shows a group of people singing in the street, accompanied by music, a well-known 1985 song “Tomorrow will be better”. Police arrived at the scene, but allowed attendees to finish their song before asking them to leave, with their attitude being welcomed by internet users.

The two-month lockdown in China’s largest and most cosmopolitan city has caused frustration and anger among residents, hundreds of thousands of whom have been quarantined in usually overcrowded central units. Many residents found it difficult to get food or access to health care.

China announced today that 362 cases of coronavirus were recorded in 24 hours compared to 444 a day earlier. In Beijing, new cases dropped yesterday from 24 to 29 a day earlier.