Covid-19: after two months of confinement, Shanghai lifts most of the restrictions

Published on: 06/01/2022 – 05:24 Back to work, reopening of public transport and some stores: China’s largest city, Shanghai, comes back to life on Wednesday after two months of anti-Covid confinement. But the return to normal is not yet for now. Shanghai on Wednesday (June 1st) lifted the most significant anti-Covid restrictions imposed for two months on its 25 million inhabitants, a further step towards a lifting of the confinement which infuriates the population and strangles the economy. Several measures had already been relaxed these days thanks to a sharp drop in the number of positive cases. But the population could generally only go out, at best, for a few hours a day, and on condition of being in a neighborhood without any case. On Wednesday morning, Shanghainese returned to work, while some stores were preparing to open . The metro and public transport were working again, AFP noted. “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for for a long time,” welcomed the Shanghai town hall on social networks. The authorities, however, warned that the return to normal was not for now. Shopping malls, convenience stores, pharmacies and beauty salons can only operate at 75% capacity. Sports halls and cinemas will remain closed and the reopening of schools will be done on a case-by-case basis. First steps to freedom On Tuesday, imposing yellow fences which had prevented residents from leaving their residences for two months were lowered. While workers were busy dismantling the anti-Covid fortifications, onlookers, masked, were enjoying their first steps in freedom. residents eager to take their picture. Putting China’s largest city under glass was a crushing blow for Shanghainese. Despite a dizzying increase in positive cases in March, the municipality initially dismissed the idea of ​​​​containment, arguing the importance of Shanghai for the economy. But the authorities reversed their decision in early April to hastily confine the whole metropolis. Some inhabitants were already there long before this date. Many have been exasperated by the problems with the supply of fresh produce and access to non-Covid medical care. Shanghai’s lockdown is the second longest in China since the start of the pandemic. In 2020, that of Wuhan (center), the first city in the world affected by the Covid, had lasted 76 days. The shutdown of Shanghai has weakened the economy, penalized production, limited consumption and seriously disrupted supply chains. With AFP