Most of the 26 million inhabitants were allowed to leave their homes again on Wednesday. shops opened. Public and private transport has also resumed with restrictions. The only exceptions are neighborhoods that are cordoned off as risk areas due to infections. Around 200,000 people are still in quarantine.
“It’s really crazy,” said a 43-year-old German, who came out the door for the first time and could hardly believe it: “There’s a lot of hustle and bustle. As if nothing had happened.” Many shops would have opened. It will be cleaned, a little sold. “Everything is back to the start,” said the German. The trees are green, spring has come, the weather is warm: “There is a certain euphoria.” There was a party that night. Like after New Year’s party leftovers lying around. “We are in jubilation, hustle and bustle and can hardly classify it.”
Mr. Zhou was stuck at his home for as long as two and a half months. “At first I was annoyed, unwilling, confused and worried, but then I gradually got used to it,” said the 40-year-old technician. “Today I feel like I’ve been cut off for an eternity.” The first thing he did was a ten-kilometer run. Even if there are more outbreaks, such a long lockdown should never happen again, Zhou said. “The government should learn the lessons and improve future policies.”
27,000 new infections a day as the high point
The lockdown in the economic and financial center of the second largest economy was initially imposed for five days on the Pudong side east of the Huangpu River at the end of March. However, the restrictions were extended due to the increasing number of infections and ended up lasting two months. There had been severe criticism due to insufficient food supplies, poor medical care and sometimes chaotic conditions.
At the peak of the wave, Shanghai counted 27,000 new infections in one day in April. On Tuesday, the metropolis reported only 15 new cases – fewer than in three months. Nationwide, the National Health Commission reported just 68 new infections, 46 of them without symptoms.
Zero Covid Strategy
As the rest of the world now tries to live with the virus, the country’s most populous is abiding by its rigorous zero-Covid strategy. With the arrival of the omicron variant, China has been fighting the biggest corona wave since the outbreak of the pandemic more than two years ago. Chinese scientists warned that easing restrictions without restrictions could result in 1.5 million deaths in six months, as many old people in China are under-vaccinated.
The lockdowns and quarantine measures in many metropolises and regions have slowed down China’s economy and disrupted global supply chains. The Shanghai government said it would work toward a full recovery and make efforts to “recover time and losses from the epidemic.” Many companies in Shanghai and the neighboring province of Jiangsu want to ramp up production again by mid-June.
Regular tests are part of everyday life
Despite the easing, carmakers Volkswagen and Tesla want their workers to continue working in “closed circuits” until the end of next week, the finance agency Bloomberg reported, citing informed circles. The workers live on the site without contact with the outside world, which is intended to reduce risks and ensure stable production.
Regular corona tests will continue to be part of everyday life, including distance rules. Kindergartens, elementary and middle schools remain closed in Shanghai. Stores must limit customer numbers to 75 percent of maximum capacity. Before using public transport or entering shops or shopping centers in the port city, a negative test must be proven within 72 hours with a code on the cell phone.
Similar rules also apply in Beijing, where a negative test in the past 48 hours usually has to be proven. The capital of 21 million inhabitants, which had pursued a soft lockdown, lifted the home office requirement in the largest district of Chaoyang and in Daxing and initially allowed shops to reopen. Restaurants remained closed. Strict restrictions continued to apply in the hard-hit Fengtai District. 14 new corona cases were reported in Beijing on Tuesday.
Source: Nachrichten
