No easing of curbs in Shanghai, even in areas with zero transmission

SHANGHAI • The Shanghai authorities said yesterday that tough restrictions would remain in place for now, even in districts that managed to cut Covid-19 trans-mission to zero, prolonging the agony for many residents who have been stuck at home for most of the month.

That sober assessment, prompted by an unexpected rise in the number of cases outside quarantined areas, came after health officials earlier in the week had fuelled hopes of some return to normal life by saying that trends in recent days showed Shanghai had "effectively curbed transmissions".

At a regular news conference, an official from the Chongming district, an outlying island area, said most curbs would be kept in place, although it has reported zero cases outside quarantined areas and 90 per cent of its approximately 640,000 residents were now, in theory, allowed to leave their homes.

"For those in prevention areas, we have to continue to ensure that they don't become 'free to fly' areas," Deputy Governor Zhang Zhitong said, referring to neighbourhoods that meet the criteria for residents to be allowed to go outside.

Supermarkets would remain shut to shoppers, vehicles would not be allowed on roads without approval, and only one person from each household would be allowed to leave home each day in some towns in Chongming, he said.

The central district of Jingan, home to nearly one million people and some of the city's flashiest malls, announced yesterday it would no longer allow residents out of their housing compounds, citing risks of large gatherings.

Frustration is mounting among people, who thought earlier this week that their lives would begin to gradually return to normal.

"I no longer have strength to complain about the measures that change from day to night," one Jingan resident wrote on social media.

Shanghai reported 15,861 new local asymptomatic coronavirus cases on Wednesday, down from 16,407 a day earlier. Symptomatic cases stood at 2,634, up from 2,494. Crucially, there were 441 new cases outside quarantined areas, up from 390 a day earlier.

Eight people with Covid-19 died in Shanghai on Wednesday, the authorities said, bringing the death toll of the current outbreak to 25 - all recorded in the past four days.

However, many residents have said that a family member who had died after catching Covid-19 had not been included in official statistics, raising doubts about their accuracy. The Shanghai government did not respond to questions regarding the death toll.

Shanghai ordered virtually all residents to stay home at the start of this month after Covid-19 cases began to surge.

REUTERS