Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Thursday saw the implementation of new lockdown restrictions in parts of Shanghai, with inhabitants of th...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - Thursday saw the implementation of new lockdown restrictions in parts of Shanghai, with inhabitants of the enormous Minhang area being instructed to remain indoors for two days in an effort to control COVID-19 transmission concerns.
The authorities of the city of Minhang, which is home to more than 2 million people, said on WeChat on June 11 that all citizens will undergo nucleic acid testing on June 11 and that limitations will be eased once the testing is complete.
On Wednesday, Shanghai reported four additional symptomatic COVID-19 cases, all of which occurred in zones already under quarantine. There were no new cases in the Minhang district.
Last week, Shanghai emerged from a two-month citywide lockdown, but certain residential complexes have been locked off again as officials continue to pursue a "dynamic zero-COVID" policy aimed at immediately shutting down transmission links.
This necessitates swift enforcement of movement restrictions and testing requirements in locations where positive cases, as well as their close connections, reside or have visited.
Several local government agencies have announced that, beginning Thursday, individuals will be subject to two days of imprisonment and 12 days of rigorous examination.
According to letters from at least three Shanghai neighborhoods, residents will be subjected to five rounds of mandatory examinations concluding on June 23 and would be confined to their homes until Saturday.
In the past week, green gates and red wooden boards have popped up along some of these streets near these neighborhoods, isolating inhabitants and inciting fresh public outrage.
Vice-head of Shanghai's health commission Zhao Dandan stated in a conference on Tuesday that the city will continue to enforce restrictions in locations that had not been deemed "high risk."
"Related measures will be dynamically updated based on an evaluation of the epidemic prevention and control trends," he explained. We hope that the public continues to comprehend and cooperate.
Given how profoundly the two-month lockdown impacted the local economy and businesses, city officials have attempted to strike a compromise between adhering to zero-COVID and promoting business restoration.
The Shanghai Disney Resort, which has been shuttered since March 21, has announced that certain retail and park areas will return on Friday, but the main Disneyland park, Disneytown, and its two resort hotels will remain closed until further notice.
Officials in the city, China's most cosmopolitan and largest commercial hub, have also been attempting to heal ties with foreign companies by conducting repeated talks with executives and lowering a crucial border requirement for foreign workers.
However, business chambers reported that uncertainty around COVID-19 limits remained a major issue for international companies.
According to Alexandra Hirst, a senior policy analyst at the British Chamber of Commerce in China, "this unpredictability and higher risk are causing many enterprises to delay, reduce, or withdraw totally from the Chinese market."
