Shanghai Enters China’s Biggest Citywide COVID-19 Lockdown

China has announced its biggest citywide lockdown since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago.

Shanghai will be locked down in two stages over nine days while authorities carry out COVID-19 testing. Pudong went into lockdown this morning, with Puxi following later in the week.

From 5am this morning, Monday, March 28, a lockdown was imposed on Pudong, Punan and adjacent areas (including Pudong New Area, Fengxian, Jinshan and Chongming districts, as well as Pujin Subdistrict and Pujiang Town in Minhang District and Xinbang, Shihudang, Maogang and Yexie towns in suburban Songjiang District). That lockdown is slated to be lifted at 5am on Friday, April 1.

Those areas in Puxi where quarantine measures are already in place will stick to their current quarantine measures.

Other areas in Puxi will be put under lockdown from 3am on Friday, April 1. That lockdown is slated to be lifted at 3am on Tuesday, April 5.

Residents are asked to follow the orders of their areas in receiving PCR tests over staggered periods. Those failing to take the test will see their health code turn yellow, while those who refuse or interfere with anti-COVID-19 measures shall bear all legal responsibility.

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During the lockdowns, all residential communities will be closed and all residents are required to stay at home.

Public transport, including buses, subways, ferries, taxis and online-hailing cars, will also be completely suspended during the lockdown.

Public service companies, such as those dealing with water, electricity, fuel, gas, communication, transportation, meat and vegetable supplies, however, will continue to operate.

Meal delivery and courier services will remain operating with non-contact delivery, with delivery staff unable to enter communities.

The source of the current COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai is the Huating Hotel & Towers in Xujiahui, one of the designated quarantine hotels for inbound travelers, and the strain is the highly-infectious Omicron BA.2 sub-variant, the government has concluded.

A number of measures have been put in place to fight the spread of the disease.

Authorities announced that residents in Shanghai who have no PCR test record since March 16 will see their health code turn yellow.

On March 20, nine Shanghai districts (Pudong New Area, Jing’an District, Huangpu District, Qingpu District, Songjiang District, Jinshan District, Fengxian District, Xuhui District and Yangpu District) require those going to their workplace to have a negative nucleic acid test report from no earlier than March 16.

Meanwhile, those going to their workplace in Putuo District require a negative nucleic acid test report from within five days.

In all areas, places that previously required a negative nucleic acid test report from within 48 hours will stick to that policy.

As of Saturday, March 12, those wishing to leave or enter Shanghai must have a negative nucleic acid test report from within 48 hours.

The Shanghai government has also asked residents not to leave the city unless absolutely necessary.

Shanghai Intercity Bus Terminal suspended operations from Sunday, March 13.

All primary and secondary schools in Shanghai have also been adjusted to online learning.

Children are not allowed to enter any educational institution – including kindergartens and training centers as well as schools – with all offline teaching banned.

The move to online learning followed on from the decision to close a number of public cultural and tourist service venues across the city.

Of those attractions still open to the public, many now require a negative nucleic acid test report from within 24 hours to enter, as well as a green health QR code, green travel history code and Chinese ID card or valid travel document.

Bars, restaurants and entertainment venues in some districts have also been asked to close.

No timeline has been given on how long all of the above measures will last; it remains dependant on the progress of the epidemic, with further announcements to be made to the public in a timely manner based on the situation.

Shanghai Health Commission reported a total of 50 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 3,450 local asymptomatic cases this morning, Monday, March 28, with numbers continuing to grow daily.

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[Cover image via NIAID-RML]