Some return to work in Beijing; Shanghai to exit lockdown

BEIJING/SHANGHAI • Streets in Beijing were busier yesterday as residents in two districts were allowed to return to work, while Shanghai inched closer towards lifting its two-month-old Covid-19 lockdown from tomorrow, as the number of infections across China dropped.

China is alone among major countries in pursuing an uncompromising zero-Covid-19 policy aimed at eradicating outbreaks at just about any cost, while most of the world tries to co-exist with the virus.

China reports daily new cases in the hundreds, compared with many Western countries, which report tens of thousands of new Covid-19 cases each day.

The tough Covid-19 curbs, and especially the strict lockdown on China's most populous city, have pummelled the world's second-largest economy, disrupting global supply chains and international trade. But there may be some respite soon.

In the capital Beijing, the districts of Fangshan and Shunyi ended work-from-home rules, while public transport largely resumed in the two districts as well as in the largest district of Chaoyang.

Libraries, museums, theatres and gyms were allowed to reopen on Sunday, though with limits on the numbers of people, in districts that have seen no community Covid-19 cases for seven consecutive days. However, restaurant dining is still banned throughout the city.

Shanghai - China's commercial hub of 25 million people - will lift the city's two-month-long lockdown from midnight tomorrow, allowing private cars, including taxis, back on roads and people to freely move in and out of low-risk housing compounds.

Bus and rail transport will also resume basic operations from tomorrow, including a ferry that connects districts separated by Huangpu River, the Shanghai city government said in a statement on its official WeChat account.

"The epidemic situation in our city has been effectively controlled, and the situation continues to improve," it said in its statement.

People will still be required to wear masks, discouraged from gathering, and encouraged to get vaccinated, it added.

Shanghai, Beijing and other cities in China have made significant progress in bringing daily Covid-19 caseloads lower, but uncertainty remains high as the highly transmissible Omicron variant is prone to making comebacks.

The zero-Covid-19 strategy is a signature policy of President Xi Jinping, who is widely expected to secure a precedent-breaking third leadership term this autumn.

The Chinese authorities have recently doubled down on the strategy, saying it is saving lives, and have threatened action against critics suggesting an exit plan was not imminent.

Shanghai reported fewer than 100 new Covid-19 cases for Sunday, while Beijing recorded 12.

Across the country, China reported 184 new cases, down from 293.

REUTERS