Shanghai achieves ‘zero Covid’ status but normal life is weeks away
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Shanghai, China – Residents lined up for nucleic acids tests. On Friday, streets in Beijing, China were peaceful as people heeded authorities’ advice to stay at home and stop Covid-19 spreading. Officials locked down in Shanghai stated that they would be able to eliminate the virus by the end of the month.
CFOTO| Future Publishing | Getty Images
Shanghai has reached the long-awaited milestone Tuesday with three days without any new Covid-19 cases beyond quarantine zones. But most Shanghai residents will need to endure confinement for at least a few more days before they can return to normal living.
In China, other cities that are under lockdown usually have a third-day without new cases. This is the start of lifting restrictions.
This commercial hub with 25 million inhabitants set Monday the clearest timeline yet to end a lockdown, now in its seventh-week. But many of those who had been living in isolation for extended times were skeptical.
Shanghai will resume outdoor activities gradually. Some convenience stores and pharmacies will reopen this week. However, most movement restrictions remain in effect until May 21. After that, public transport services and other services can resume slowly.
The lockdown will be lifted by June. However, residents will be asked to continue getting tested regularly.
People were more allowed to go out this week. Some joggers, dog walkers and others were also spotted. A man was seen fishing on the Shanghai River.
Many residential areas were enclosed by tall fences. There were very few private cars and most residents were still in their homes.
Although it was unclear how many shops were reopened during this week, delivery apps showed a slightly lower demand on Tuesday.
On Monday, the Communist Party’s People’s Daily published photographs that claimed to show openings of restaurants, hairdressers and breakfast joint on social media.
One social media user called the post “nonsense”.
“We’ve been kept in our home since two months. Anyone else than Shanghaiers should read this story.
On Tuesday morning the post was removed.
An unofficial video was posted by an alternative state-sponsored media outlet. The footage showed 10 workers in hazmat suits making hearts with their hands. Only two of them looked like customers.
The shop had a sign at the door that required customers to submit a negative Covid Test, which was a passing result.
The store is only allowed to hold 20 customers at a time.
Shanghai saw fewer than 1,000 cases during May 16. All of these were in areas with the highest control. No new cases were reported in areas that are more open to the disease, which was monitored by the monitoring team to assess progress towards eradicating it.
Persistent drag
Beijing has 52 daily cases. Officials have discovered several new infections every day, despite increasing restrictions in recent weeks.
In the capital, dine-in restaurants are prohibited. Some malls are closed and public transportation is restricted. Many residents are advised to work at home.
This week’s data showed that the economic havoc caused by Shanghai’s lockdown and curbs in many other cities had had a devastating effect on the economy. Retail sales fell at an alarming rate in April, and their industrial output plummeted at its fastest pace for more than 2 years.
China’s strict “zero Covid policy” has placed many millions of people and workers in various restrictions. At a time when much of the world lifts them from the virus, they are still being spread.
The difficulty in eliminating new diseases, demonstrated by Beijing’s efforts, makes it questionable whether there will be a sustainable return to normality once the restrictions have been lifted.
China’s unwavering commitment to its zero-Covid strategy, regardless of economic cost, raises questions about the future.
Societe Generale strategists stated in a note that the pace of recovery will depend on how quickly normalization takes place in Shanghai and Beijing, and the rate at which confidence returns to the private sector.
The zero-Covid strategy can be an intractable drag on both of these points.”
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