After two months of heavy restrictions limiting commercial activities and blocking residents, Shanghai authorities announced this Tuesday (31) that the curfew has been lifted from 1 June to combat Covid-19.
In late March, the city of 25 million and China’s main economic center was locked down after an Omicron variant went viral. According to Deputy Mayor Zong Ming, the relaxation will apply to approximately 22 million people.
Local authorities have already begun to mobilize and remove the physical barriers set up in the city.
He announced at a press conference that public transport, including buses, the rail network and ferry services, would continue, with private vehicles able to circulate normally except in areas classified as medium and high risk.
Masks will continue to be mandatory and establishments such as supermarkets, stores, pharmacies and shopping malls will only be able to take up 75% of their capacity. In addition, those who want to enter public places and use public transport will need to have a Covid-19 test every 72 hours.
The same rules apply to cultural and tourist attractions and stadiums. As for schools, Shanghai will gradually resume in-person classes, with priority given to students enrolled in the last two and third years of high school.
According to Zong, the city is still in a critical phase of epidemic prevention and control, and therefore everyone needs continued understanding, support and cooperation.
The Deputy Mayor also asked all residents to comply with prevention and control measures, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, China has taken a hard line to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, with curfews in all cities and mass testing at the slightest sign of growth in epidemics. This strategy has recently sparked protests in Shanghai and criticism from the World Health Organization (WHO).
source: Noticias
