The emergency lockdown, announced by the Shanghai city government on Sunday, will split the city in about two along the Huangpu River for nine days to allow for “tiered” tests. It is the biggest disturbance affecting the city related to COVID. While residents east of Huangpu were confined to their homes, those in the west had stocked groceries and other basic necessities as they prepared for a similar catastrophe beginning April 1, with delivery services flooded and supermarkets running out of supplies. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “Many wholesale markets are now closed,” said Bi Yingwu, a 50-year-old bench. “Some sellers are reluctant to buy vegetables. If we can not get vegetables from wholesalers or the wet market is closed, we are done.” The lockdown signal marks a reversal for Shanghai authorities, who until Saturday denied that the city would be shut down as it sought a more fragmented “shredding and mesh” approach to try to curb infections. read more Wu Fan, a member of the Shanghai COVID-19 team of experts, said recent mass tests had identified “large-scale” infections across the city, provoking the strongest reaction. “Reducing the large-scale epidemic in our city is very important because as soon as the infected people are brought under control, we have blocked the transmission,” he said in a statement, adding that tests would be carried out until all risks were eliminated. Shanghai said earlier this month that its daily test capacity was about 3 million, but Chen Erzhen, a doctor in charge of a quarantine facility in the city, warned that it may not be enough to overcome the rapid spread of the virus. “Once the number of cases reaches a certain level, the difficulty of relying on previous secondments increases greatly,” he told the government newspaper Liberation Daily, adding that the new lockdown should at least provide the “immobility” required for to be put under the outbreak of the epidemic. control. Although still low by world standards, Shanghai recorded a record 3,450 asymptomatic COVID cases on Sunday, accounting for nearly 70% of the total nationwide, along with 50 symptomatic cases. Nationwide, 5,134 new asymptomatic and 1,219 symptoms were recorded on Sunday, the health authority said in its regular bulletin. read more HOLIDAYS As a key driver of the Chinese economy, Shanghai is trying to meet President Xi Jinping’s call to minimize the impact of COVID controls on business and people’s lives. Wu said in a statement Saturday that Shanghai could not be locked in for long because of the important role it played in the national and even global economy. However, after Sunday’s turn, massive trials have disrupted transport, healthcare and a wide range of economic activities, with land sales across the city also halting on Monday. The Shanghai Public Security Bureau has announced that it will close bridges and tunnels across rivers and toll booths east of the city until April 1. The office said traffic controls would be applied to highways to and from the city and people leaving would have to show a negative nucleic acid test within the past 48 hours. Shanghai also announced on Sunday that it would suspend public transport, including transportation services, to restricted areas. He also ordered the suspension of work in companies and factories, excluding those who offer public services or supply food. Some hospitals have also suspended services as they free up staff and other resources to help with mass trials. US automaker Tesla (TSLA.O) is suspending production at its plant in an area affected by the first stage of the lockdown for four days, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. read more However, the Chinese chip company Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (0981.HK) said that the work in its factories in Shanghai was normal. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Andrew Galbraith, David Stanway, Xihao Jiang and the Shanghai newsroom. Additional references by Ryan Woo in Beijing. Editing by Jane Wardell, Robert Birsel and Louise Heavens Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
