Shanghai moves into full lockdown

Life in the Chinese city of Shanghai has now come to a standstill after the government has decided to switch to a complete lockdown of the city, to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. Previously the plan was to switch lockdowns in the eastern and western parts of the city, but extending the lockdown to the west creates overlap, forcing the entire city to stay indoors.

Almost all of the population of 26 million is temporarily banned from leaving their homes, not even walking the dog or taking out the trash. Public transport has been suspended in most parts of the city, while businesses considered non-essential, such as restaurants and shops, have been forced to close. Only residents are allowed to leave their homes for screening. These tests are mainly carried out near their homes, and are of great importance to China’s no-virus policy.

The lockdown, which was intended to stop the spread of the infectious omikron variant, began on Monday and was originally scheduled to last ten days. The areas east of the Huangpu River in Shanghai will be the first to remain closed for five days, after which the western areas will also be closed for five days. The city council reversed that decision Thursday night, and only wants to gradually lift measures in the east. Residents are expected to stay indoors for as long as it takes to bring the outbreak under control.

Skeptical residents

This is while the authorities stated that the numbers had already decreased for the second day in a row. The city reported 4,144 asymptomatic and 358 asymptomatic cases Thursday, compared to corresponding numbers of 5,298 and 355 the day before. Some residents have previously expressed skepticism about the daily numbers and questioned how quickly positive people could be enrolled in the system. For example, it has been observed that people are often very late or not included in the system at all.

Many experts said that a complete shutdown of the mall in China, which is also the largest city in the country, will have serious economic consequences. Large factories, including outside Shanghai, have had to downsize or temporarily stop work due to various shutdowns. “China’s economy could take a hit,” says analyst Ting Lu of investment bank Nomura. Reuters† “Covid-19 has now reached almost every part of China, and it has had major economic consequences.”