China’s economic hub, Shanghai, says it will lock the city in two stages to conduct a COVID-19 test in nine days, after setting a new daily record for asymptomatic infections. Authorities said Sunday they would split Shanghai in two for the exercise, using the Huangpu River, which flows through the city, as a guide. Areas east of the river, and some west, will be excluded and tested between March 28 and April 1. The remaining areas will be excluded and tested between April 1st and 5th. Public transportation, including transportation services, to these areas will be suspended when locked, the city government said on its official WeChat account, adding that unauthorized vehicles will not be allowed on the roads. He also said that all companies and factories will suspend production or work remotely during the lockdown, except for those involved in providing public services or food. “The public is being asked to support, understand and cooperate with the city’s epidemic prevention and control work and to participate in nucleic acid testing in a regular manner,” the government added. Shanghai faced a new wave of COVID-19 for almost a month and on Saturday reported the highest daily number of cases since the initial epidemic in China subsided. The city recorded 2,631 new asymptomatic cases, representing nearly 60 percent of China’s total new asymptomatic cases that day, plus 47 new symptomatic cases. While the number of cases in Shanghai remains mediocre by world standards, the city of 26 million has become a testing ground for China’s “zero COVID” strategy as it seeks to control the highly contagious Omicron variant. The Shanghai authorities had previously resisted a broad blockade of the city to avoid destabilizing its economy and opted for a more tailored “shredding and grid” approach, which includes one-on-one control of neighborhoods. More than 14 million Shanghai residents have undergone antigen testing, the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission announced on Sunday. However, some residents have grumbled about the seemingly endless test cycles and fragmented approach to ending transmission chains, with some saying the cost of zero COVID-19 had become too high. Disappointments have also been felt elsewhere in China. Earlier this month, on social media footage, crowds in the northeastern city of Shenyang were knocking on the windows of a clothing market as they shouted in frustration for another round of COVID-19 testing. China reported a total of 4,448 new asymptomatic infections on March 26, up from 4,430 a day earlier, including 1,007 new cases in the northeastern province of Jilin, which is currently under lockdown. The country reported 1,254 new confirmed cases with symptoms, from 1,335 the previous day. Of the new cases, 1,217 were transmitted locally, compared to 1,280 the previous day. No deaths were reported on March 26, leaving 4,638 dead. By March 26, mainland China had confirmed 143,240 cases of COVID-19.
