Covid – Omicron: despite the distress of the inhabitants, Shanghai will once again toughen its health policy – The Independent

Enforcing very strict confinement to respect the “0 Covid” policy, the most populous city in China is already in the grip of many criticisms. Shanghai has given itself until Wednesday at the latest to halt the spread of the coronavirus epidemic outside quarantined areas, two sources familiar with the matter said, boding for the Chinese city, facing frustration growing population, an easing of confinement and the beginning of a return to normal life. To achieve this goal, authorities will have to speed up their testing campaign and the transfer of positive COVID-19 cases to quarantine centers, according to a speech by a local Communist Party official dated Saturday and seen by Reuters. . Shortly after reaching that goal, other cities like Shenzhen reopened public transportation and allowed businesses to return to work. 320,000 infections since early March Shanghai has become the epicenter of the largest coronavirus outbreak China has seen since the virus was first identified in Wuhan in 2019, with more than 320,000 infections since early March. Shanghai residents have taken to social media to express their anger against local authorities over food supply difficulties, loss of income caused by confinement, the consequences of separation between families and the degraded conditions observed in quarantine centers. These tensions have even sporadically led to street protests and scuffles with the police.