The Shanghai authorities announced today that the strict restrictions will remain in force for the time being, even in areas that have managed to eradicate the transmission of COVID-19, prolonging the anxiety of many residents who are trapped in their homes for most of this year. month.
The ominous estimate, which came as a result of an unexpected increase in the number of cases outside quarantine areas, came as health officials earlier this week boosted hopes for a return to normal life, saying trends in recent days showed that Shanghai had “substantially restricted transmission”.
In a regular briefing to reporters, an official in Chongming, an island region of Shanghai, said most restrictions would remain in place, although zero out-of-quarantine incidents had been reported and about 90% of the 640,000 residents were theoretically allowed to leave. from their homes.
“For those in prevention areas, we must continue to ensure that there are no ‘free movement’ areas,” said Deputy Governor Zhang Jitong, referring to neighborhoods that meet the criteria to allow residents to move outdoors.
Supermarkets remain closed to consumers, vehicles are not allowed on the streets without approval and only one person from each household is allowed to leave the house every day in some parts of Chongming, he said.
Jingan’s central district, home to nearly 1 million people and one of the city’s most impressive shopping malls, announced yesterday that it would no longer allow residents to move away from their residential complexes as there is a risk of large gatherings.
Residents, who earlier this week believed their lives might be starting to return to normal, are becoming increasingly frustrated.
“I no longer have the strength to complain about measures that change overnight,” a Jingan resident wrote on social media. “And this is not even a problem worth mentioning, given the serious problems that Shanghai is facing.”
A video of a fierce fight between a Jingan resident and a local official was released on Chinese social media last night. The resident repeatedly asked why she could not go out while living in an area where she was allowed to leave the house, with the official constantly giving her the same answer: “I told you, we have a warning”. Reuters could not confirm the authenticity of the video.
Shanghai recorded 15,861 new asymptomatic cases of coronavirus, locally transmitted, yesterday compared to 16,407 a day earlier. The number of symptomatic cases was 2,634, out of 2,494. It is noteworthy that 441 new cases were recorded outside the quarantine areas, from 390 a day earlier.
Authorities say eight people died in Shanghai yesterday due to COVID-19, bringing the total death toll from the current outbreak to 25 – all in the last four days.
Source: Capital

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