Shanghai locks down millions as China's Covid case numbers soar

Residents told they should not leave home other than for coronavirus testing

Police in protective gear patrol the Nanjing street shopping area, in Shanghai, China. EPA

Volunteers carry daily necessities for residents in Fengxian District in eastern China's Shanghai city. AP

A security guard regulates traffic at an exit of a tunnel that leads to the Pudong area, across the Huangpu river, in Shanghai. Reuters

A man in protective gear walks in front of the quarantined compound, in Shanghai. EPA

Police patrol in Nanjing street main pedestrian and shopping area, in Shanghai, China, 28 March 2022. On 28 March 2022, in China, there were 1,219 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, 4,996 asymptomatic infections, according to the National Health Commission. Shanghai city imposes strict lockdown amid COVID-19 resurgence. A complete lockdown hit one of the biggest districts. Pudong, Puxi, Minhang, Songjiang districts quarantine measures are implemented for the key sub districts and towns for a new round of citywide nucleic acid testing starting Monday morning. All public transportations have been suspended in these critical areas while quarantining. Authorities reported that airports, railway stations, and international cargo transport will operate normally during the lockdown through 5 April. EPA / ALEX PLAVEVSKI

Residents in Shanghai are asked to stay at home unless they are going out for a coronavirus test. EPA

A man walks on the Bound with Pudong main financial district in background, in Shanghai. EPA

A resident gives a sample for a nucleic acid Covid-19 testing, in Shanghai. EPA

People line up at a nucleic acid testing site outside a hospital during a mass testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), following the outbreak in Shanghai. Reuters

A security guard in personal protective equipment (PPE) walks at a main shopping area following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai. Reuters

Shanghai is in its second day of a lockdown. Reuters

A pair of rubber gloves is hung to dry, as a security guard walks along a street in Shanghai. Reuters

People wait in line to get in to the grocery store, in Shanghai. EPA

China's most populous city has locked down millions of its residents, again tightening the first phase of two-stage Covid-19 defences as the number of daily cases passed 4,400.

On Tuesday, many residents in Shanghai were asked to stay at home unless they were going out for a coronavirus test.

The city, which is China's financial centre and has a population of 26 million people, is in its second day of a lockdown that splits it roughly along the line of the Huangpu River.

It divides the historic centre from the eastern business and industrial district of Pudong to allow for staggered testing.

While the Shanghai caseload remains modest by global standards – a record 4,381 asymptomatic cases and 96 symptomatic cases for March 28 – the city has become a testing ground for the country's “zero-Covid” strategy as it tries to bring the highly infectious Omicron variant under control.

Residents east of the Huangpu were initially locked down in housing compounds on Monday, but mostly allowed to move within the compounds.

On Tuesday, however, two residents told Reuters they were informed by their neighbourhood committees they were no longer allowed to cross their doorsteps.

“Children were still having picnics yesterday and having fun,” one said.

Wu Qianyu, an official with the municipal health commission, told a press briefing on Tuesday that locked-down residents should not leave home, even to take pets for exercise or throw rubbish out.

Police patrol in Nanjing street main pedestrian and shopping area, in Shanghai, China, on 28 March, after the city imposed a strict lockdown amid a Covid-19 resurgence. EPA

“This is in fact a key stage in nucleic acid testing, and we have made a clear request for people in locked down areas to stay home,” she said.

She said 17,000 testing personnel from Shanghai and surrounding regions had set up 6,300 stations and conducted a total of 8.26 million tests in locked-down districts on Monday.

“The vast numbers of medical staff, grass roots cadres, community workers and volunteers shared the very hard work on the front line of epidemic prevention and control and should be thanked,” she said.

Empty streets

Drone footage published by Chinese state media showed empty streets surrounding the skyscrapers of the city's Lujiazui financial district in Pudong. Public transport in the east has been shut and all unapproved vehicles have been barred from roads.

The Shanghai Stock Exchange, in the western part of the city, said it kept a skeleton staff in place within the bourse for positions such as trading and technical system operations, while others work from home.

Residents in the west of the city continued to rush to grocery stores and vegetable markets to stock up in anticipation of the April 1 start date of their lockdown, with long queues and crowds.

US hypermarket chain Costco said it was closing from Tuesday, before the area's scheduled lockdown, along with some gyms and shopping malls which also sit in Shanghai's western districts.

The Shanghai government rolled out more measures to try to support coronavirus-affected businesses on Tuesday, including rent exemptions and billions of yuan in tax rebates.