BEIJING ( Associated Press) – About 16 million people in Shanghai are being tested for the coronavirus during the second phase of the crash that moved to the western half of China’s largest city and financial capital on Friday.
Meanwhile, residents of Shanghai’s eastern districts who were supposed to be released from four days of solitary confinement were told that their restrictions could be extended if COVID-19 cases were found in their residential areas.
The closure in Shanghai, which is being done in two phases over eight days to test its entire population, has rocked world markets worried about the potential economic impact. China’s manufacturing activity fell to a five-month low in March, a monthly survey showed Thursday, as restrictions and other restrictions forced factories to suspend production.
For four days from Friday, residents of Puxi on the west side of the Huangpu River that divides Shanghai will not be able to leave their neighborhoods or residential areas. The gates at some assemblies were locked from the outside, with groceries and meals delivered at collection points.
Government workers and volunteers wearing full protective gear went door-to-door with megaphones in the city with 26 million people, urging residents to sign up for testing at designated sites where they are through long queues and guards of more if 90 minutes have been met.
China’s National Health Commission said another 1,787 domestic cases of COVID-19 were recorded on Thursday, including 358 in Shanghai. Another 5,442 tested positive for the virus without becoming ill, 4,144 of them in Shanghai.
People who tested positive without symptoms are taken to temporary isolation centers, including gyms and exhibition centers.
Public transport was suspended and roads were closed, bringing the normally operating metropolis to a standstill. While city dwellers are being told to stay, airports and train stations remain open.
The restriction reflects China’s continued adherence to its “zero-COVID” approach, despite restrictions eased elsewhere. China set the hard line at the start of the pandemic in 2020 with the 76-day closure of the city of Wuhan where the virus was first detected.
The measures were described by some Chinese as excessive, although there was little overt defiance. Amid the murmur, Shanghai authorities conceded shortcomings in their handling of the boom driven by the omicron variant, after panicking by buying stripped-down store shelves of necessities.
“We have not prepared enough,” Ma Chunlei, a senior Shanghai official, told a news conference on Thursday. “We sincerely accept the criticism from the public and make efforts to improve it.”
