China’s financial capital and largest city has implemented a two-phase partial lockdown for the next 10 days, starting in Pudong Economic Zone and nearby areas from Monday to Friday. This will allow mass trials to be conducted after 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Sunday. In the second phase of the lockdown, the huge downtown area west of the Huangpu River that separates the city will begin its own five-day lockdown. Residents will have to stay home and deliveries will be left at checkpoints to ensure there is no contact with the outside world. Offices and all businesses that are not considered necessary will remain closed and public transport will be suspended. Bridges and tunnels inside and outside the area are strictly controlled. Consumers and businesses in North America and Europe can well feel the impact on supply chains. “The damage could also spread even further, because Shanghai is such an important hub in global supply chains,” said Chang Bush, an economist at Bloomberg. “So far, the lockdown allows the continuation of operations in financial institutions and ports [but] anything beyond the current plan risks disruptions to financial flows and international trade. “ Electric car maker Tesla has a plant in Shanghai that the company says is currently out of production. The facility is China’s second largest in the world in addition to its main facility in California. Some of the vehicles produced there are exported to markets beyond China. CLOCKS Signs show increase in COVID-19 cases in parts of Canada:

Signs show an increase in COVID-19 cases in parts of Canada

Recent sewage tests in Ontario suggest COVID-19 cases are rising again, weeks after the county eased pandemic restrictions and reduced testing. In Quebec, the highly contagious sub-variant of Omicron BA.2 is blamed for an increase in cases. 3:48

Oil prices are falling due to fears

The closure “raises deeper supply chain concerns and inflationary implications,” said Scotiabank economist Derek Holt. “Among the uncertainties could be concerns about what the test results might look like and any relevant policy responses, as well as whether this would be a model for extending the measures elsewhere.” Oil prices responded immediately to the prospect that more lockdowns in China’s economy would cause a dramatic drop in energy demand. West Texas Intermediate lost nearly $ 10 a barrel to trade just over $ 104. Colin Cieszynski, head of market strategy at SIA Wealth Management in Toronto, said fears of a lockdown have frightened the market. “Remember there was an older lockdown in southern China, in Shenzhen, that did not last long,” he told CBC in an interview Monday. “It remains to be seen how long this may take. But it just keeps reminding us that these disorders can happen at any time.”

The locals gather food

Already, many communities in Shanghai have been shut down last week, with their homes blocked by blue and yellow plastic barriers and residents having to take multiple COVID-19 tests. Shanghai Disneyland Theme Park is among the companies that closed earlier. Tesla is also suspending production at its Shanghai plant, according to media reports. Medical personnel walk in front of obstacles in a lockdown area in Shanghai on Friday. (Aly Song / Reuters)
There was a panic attack on Sunday, with supermarket shelves cleared of food, drink and household items. Additional barriers were erected in neighborhoods on Monday, with hazmat uniformed workers staffing checkpoints. The personal observations of the Tomb Scanning Festival on April 5 have been canceled and the memorials will be held online instead.

Workers prepare for the “bubble”

Some workers, including traders on the city stock exchange, were preparing to remain in a COVID-19 bubble for the duration of the lockdown. Li Jiamin, 31, who works in the financial sector, said she had been collecting clothes and supplies for several days and her company was arranging sleeping and eating arrangements. “The overall impact is still great,” Lee told the Associated Press, noting in particular the losses suffered by workers in the informal sector who do not have such support. Huang Qi, 35, who works at a local university, said he had undergone a home lockdown in the past and was preparing for the new round of stocks. “I think if the closure continues like this, the employees in our schools will not be affected much, but what about those who work in the real economy? How can their business be maintained?” said Huang. “I also hope that our society can find a better balance between ensuring a normal life and preventing and controlling the epidemic,” Huang added. People line up at a COVID-19 test site in Shanghai on Sunday. (Aly Song / Reuters)
Shanghai has converted two gyms, a showroom and other facilities to accommodate potentially infected patients. China has described the “zero tolerance” long-term approach as the most cost-effective and effective prevention strategy against COVID-19. The new measures in Shanghai are aimed at “reducing the spread of the virus, protecting human life and health, and achieving the potential zero-COVID-19 target as soon as possible,” the Coronavirus Prevention and Control Office said. of the city in an announcement on Sunday afternoon. . This requires lockdown and mass testing, with close contacts often being quarantined at home or at central government facilities. The strategy focuses on eliminating Community transmission of the virus as soon as possible. Security guards with protective equipment are loading the goods on a trolley to transport them to locked residential buildings that have been locked for health monitoring following a COVID-19 case detected in the Beijing area on Monday. (Andy Wong / The Associated Press)
On Friday, the International Air Transport Association announced it was moving its annual general assembly from Shanghai to Doha, Qatar, citing “continuing COVID-19 restrictions on travel to China.” “It is deeply disappointing that we are not able to meet in Shanghai as planned,” IATA Director-General Willie Walsh told a news release. However, Shanghai’s announcement of the dates on which the two lockdowns will be lifted seemed to show a further improvement in China’s approach. Previous lockdowns across the city have been indefinite.