Shanghai cancels flights, halts hospital services after detecting a few cases

SHANGHAI • China's financial hub Shanghai scrapped about one-third of the flights from its busiest international airport yesterday, and suspended some hospital services after a handful of Covid-19 cases were detected, showing the country's continued commitment to efforts aimed at eliminating the coronavirus as winter looms.

More than 30 per cent of flights from Shanghai Pudong International Airport were cancelled in the morning, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Schools were immediately suspended and housing complexes tied to the cases were locked down as local officials embraced strict measures in what may become a protracted battle as cold weather forces more people indoors.

China reported four locally transmitted infections yesterday in Shanghai and the northern province of Liaoning, according to the country's National Health Commission. Three other cases, all believed to be connected to the Shanghai flare-up, were found in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou - the capital of Zhejiang province south of Shanghai - and Xuzhou in the north. None of the cases developed symptoms.

The news comes on the heels of the broadest outbreak China has seen since the virus emerged in 2019 in Wuhan, which had been brought to a trickle in recent days.

Shanghai locked down residential compounds tied to the infections for 14 days and suspended emergency room services at some of its largest hospitals. Local authorities have already tested more than 54,000 people. No positive results have been reported so far.

The renowned Zhejiang University closed one of its main campuses after a staff member tested positive. Xuzhou, the city in Jiangsu that has one asymptomatic infection, shut down all schools and training institutes for three days effective yesterday to cut off transmission.

BLOOMBERG