Beijing: Shanghai cranked up lockdown restrictions for people residing in the eastern half of the city, barring everyone from leaving their homes even to walk their dogs as local daily Covid-19 infections jumped to a record 4,477 on March 28.
All residents in the Pudong District, home to many elite financial institutions and the Shanghai Stock Exchange, will be confined to their homes and allowed out only to get a Covid test, according to a statement issued by the area’s residential compounds reviewed by Bloomberg News.
Residents shouldn’t walk in the hallways, garages, or open areas of their residential compounds in order to reduce the risk of infection, Wu Qianyu, an official with the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, said. That includes walking pets.
The stricter lockdown rules came a day after the Chinese financial hub started sealing off its 25 million people in two stages, with half the city locked down for four days, followed by the other half. The goal is to test the entire city for Covid-19, part of the effort to get its biggest outbreak to date under control.
Covid cases jumped to 4,477 on the first day of the lockdown, from 3,500 reported on Monday. There were 6,886 cases nationwide on March 28, according to data from China’s National Health Commission.
The Shanghai municipal government will continue to support the import of antiviral drugs and Covid vaccines, officials said at the briefing, without providing further details. China has imported some 21,000 boxes of Pfizer Inc.’s Covid pill Paxlovid through Shanghai earlier this month and has been treating high-risk patients with the drug.
The city also has rolled out a slew of measures, including tax relief, rent extension or reductions, and loan support for small businesses, retail, and catering industries hit hard by the outbreak, officials said. (Courtesy: Bloomberg)
