Status: 05/16/2022 11:37 a.m
In Shanghai, the authorities have promised gradual easing after a week-long corona lockdown. But the situation remains tense – and a departure from the Chinese zero-Covid strategy is not to be expected.
According to the authorities, the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai has largely stopped the spread of the corona virus. A strict lockdown is currently still in place for fewer than a million people, said Vice Mayor Zong Ming. The epidemic in our city is under effective control,” Zong said at a news conference. “Prevention measures have gradually made progress.”
In 15 out of 16 districts, no further corona cases occurred outside the quarantine areas, according to Zong. However, there is still a risk that the outbreak will widen. The deputy mayor called on people to cooperate in order to return to normal life.
Gradual opening until the beginning of June
After weeks of a strict lockdown, shopping malls and hair salons in Shanghai could now reopen, the vice mayor said. Department stores and supermarkets should enable customers to shop in an “orderly manner”. Restaurants are also allowed to open again, but with a limited number of guests. Schools should gradually resume face-to-face classes.
However, freedom of movement in the city remains restricted to prevent risks of a new outbreak. The subways are not running yet. According to the government, the financial metropolis should gradually return to normal by June 1st.
More than 50 days in lockdown
In Shanghai, some people have been under a lockdown for more than 50 days. At the beginning of April, the authorities imposed drastic restrictions in the city due to an outbreak of the omicron variant of the corona virus, which made it extremely difficult to supply the approximately 25 million inhabitants with fresh food and had an impact on global supply chains.
The number of daily new infections with the corona virus in the city recently fell to 1369. At the end of April it was still over 25,000. Nevertheless, the authorities in China continue to rely on a strict zero-Covid strategy and strict anti-corona measures on the grounds that they want to save as many lives as possible. Changes to this procedure are not expected in the short term.
Who are you lying to?
Many citizens of Shanghai reacted skeptically to the announced easing. “Who are you lying to? We can’t even leave our property,” wrote a user on the Chinese Twitter counterpart Weibo.
And in the metropolis of Changchun in Jilin province, millions of people are still stuck in lockdowns and are not allowed to leave their homes. Numerous neighborhoods in the capital Beijing are cordoned off. Most shops and many subway stations are closed. Millions of people have to work from home.
The government also instructed all cities to set up test sites that citizens can walk to within 15 minutes. In Shanghai alone, more than 5,700 such test centers are now working, and another 4,200 are planned, according to state media reports.
Corona restrictions are slowing down China’s economy
These strict corona restrictions also have consequences for the country’s economy. Industrial production fell unexpectedly in April, and retail sales also collapsed. “The Covid outbreak in April had a major impact on the economy, but the consequences will be short-term,” said a spokesman for China’s statistics bureau.
According to experts, the figures for April indicated that the downturn this year will be stronger than expected overall. “The data for activity in April has revealed the damage caused by the lockdowns in Shanghai and other parts of the country,” said an analysis by the finance agency Bloomberg. “The impact is much broader and deeper than expected.”