Shanghai to end two-month lockdown in June
Beijing, May 30 (EFE).- Shanghai’s authorities on Monday announced it would lift the over a two-month-long coronavirus lockdown starting next month.
From 1 June, residents who live in Covid-19 free areas will be able to leave their homes as normal, while businesses and public transport will also be operational again.
The Chinese city will also ease restrictions on entering or leaving residential buildings as well as road traffic, the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
“No one should impose restrictions on residents to enter or leave residential complexes, except those in medium and high-risk areas or in areas subject to limited freedom of movement,” Xinhua cited a statement by the local Covid-19 prevention and control authorities.
Shanghai will generally resume public transport services and taxis, and private cars will be allowed on roads except in the aforementioned areas, according to the statement.
The government had announced it would phase out the restrictions in a process that should be concluded before the end of June.
In recent days, many areas that had been confined for months have begun to fully or partially regain their freedom, although the vast majority of businesses were still closed.
On Sunday, the municipal government extended the negative PCR test expiry from 48 to 72 hours for the use of public transport or accessing other places such as supermarkets.
The city authorities announced on Monday a plan to “revitalize” the local economy after at least two months of strict lockdown to curb the worst coronavirus outbreak in the city.
In total, the local government announced 50 stimulus measures that will be added to the 21 already revealed at the end of March, and which, according to the official press, will reduce by some 300 billion yuan ($45,1 billion) the financial burden of companies and other market players.
The city, of some 25 million inhabitants and considered the financial capital of China, registered 68 new cases on Sunday (61 of them asymptomatic), compared to mid-April’s 28,000. EFE
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