SHANGHAI (Reuters). The COVID-19-hit financial district of Shanghai will begin to permit more businesses operating in zero COVID areas to resume normal operation from the start of June, a deputy municipal mayor stated on Thursday. The city is looking forward to the end to lockdown.

Shanghai is fighting China’s largest ever coronavirus pandemic. They have been slowly allowing more businesses and residents to leave their homes.

At a press conference, Zhang Wei, deputy mayor of the city said that they were “working to get a full resumption in work and production as quickly as possible”.

He stated that the “rhythm of work resumption” would depend on the epidemiological situation. For the remainder of May many workers will remain in closed loops, which can often mean staff staying at work.

He said that Shanghai’s steady energy, water, and information infrastructure during the epidemic “guarantees the city’s pulse has enough strength to beat after the slowdown and supports the continual recovery of the city’s economy”.

Zhang explained that after almost two months of disruptions to cargo deliveries, the volume of daily containers at Shanghai’s ports was now approximately 90% of what it was a year ago.

Pudong Airport had a cargo throughput of 70%, but freight vehicles leaving and entering the city had a return to 2/3.

Yu Fulin from Shanghai’s transport commission stated that the city will begin to restore the main cross-district public transportation on May 22. He stated that the priority was to reopen routes linking city’s railway stations, airports and hospitals.