Shanghai Introduces Further Covid Restrictions

Authorities in Shanghai have introduced further restrictions on the movement of residents in some districts and warned the city’s 25 million inhabitants that strict measures would continue to be implemented until Covid-19 was completely eradicated.

After three weeks of lockdowns in Shanghai, the metropolis is still reporting high numbers of new daily cases, prompting officials to tighten restrictions. Some have claimed that the new rules have been applied indiscriminately, saying they were told that restrictions would be tightened in their districts despite meeting the criteria for people to be allowed to leave their homes.

“Our goal is to achieve community zero-Covid as soon as possible,” the Shanghai municipal government said in a statement. “This is an important indication that we win this major, hard battle against the epidemic so that we can restore normal production and life order”.

Shanghai has been experiencing its worst surge in Covid cases since the start of the pandemic over the course of the past month, which has been met with draconian measures in an attempt to contain the spread. Measures imposed have not only restricted residents’ movements but also impacted on their ability to earn a living, feed themselves, and meet other basic needs.

The decision follows on from yesterday’s announcement of other new measures, including daily city-wide testing and accelerating the process for identifying and isolating new cases.

Videos posted on Chinese social media show buses full of people being taken to quarantine centers, and claims are being made that non-infected people have been forced into isolation for seemingly no reason.