Retreat to Shanghai Govt war; Beijing focuses on mass testing

SHANGHAI / BEIJING, May 2 (Reuters) – China’s business capital Shanghai suffered a blow on Monday as authorities filed 58 new COVID-19 cases outside locked areas, while Beijing pressured millions of people to be tested during the May Day holiday. Were celebrating.

Severe corona virus activity in Shanghai has provoked the wrath of the rare public, with the city’s 25 million people trapped inside their homes for more than a month, some sealed off inside residential areas, and many struggling to protect their daily needs.

Shanghai residents sighed with relief at the news that no cases had been confirmed outside the locked areas for two days, but were disappointed with reports of 58 new epidemics on Monday.

Officials did not comment on the new cases at the press conference, but the public weighed in online.

“They announced that they would be stamping out cases at the community level very quickly,” one person commented on the Weibo social media site.

However, many took heart from the data showing encouraging trends, with 32 new deaths on Sunday, compared to 38 a day earlier, for a total of 6,804 new local cases, up from 7,189 the previous day.

“There is hope for May,” said another Weibo user.

Despite the low number of cases, high fences were erected in some residential areas in Shanghai on Monday, although officials said employees of companies on the government’s production priority list could apply for the pass if there were not seven cases in the building where they lived. Days.

The corona virus first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and for two years authorities were able to contain most of the outbreaks through locks and travel restrictions.

But the rapidly spreading Omicron variant has tested China’s “Zero-COVID” policy this year, which is a key one for President Xi Jinping, who is expected to take the pioneering third presidency in the fall.

China’s Govt policy is higher than it is around the world, where many governments have relaxed restrictions or thrown them out altogether, trying to “live with COVID” despite the spread of infections.

New Zealand, with some of the world’s toughest obstacles, finally opened its borders on Monday, welcoming thousands of travelers from around the world for the first time since the outbreak began. read more

Despite growing numbers in the world’s second-largest economy and waves of disruptions through global supply chains, China has given no indication of deviating from its policy.

In the capital, which has a population of 22 million, authorities have tightened COVID restrictions on the five-day Labor Day holiday, which runs until Wednesday, one of the traditionally busiest tourist seasons. read more

Beijing, with dozens of infections daily in its second week of outbreaks, is not locked in, but instead, at least for now, relies on mass testing to detect and isolate infections.

Beijing’s restaurants are closed for dining, and some apartments are closed. Streets are quiet and out-of-town residents must show negative corona virus tests to enter most public places.

Authorities are monitoring close contact with confirmed cases, warning them to stay home, contacting authorities and inviting everyone to follow instructions.

China reported 7,822 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, down from 8,329 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said Monday. read more

All 32 of China’s new deaths were in Shanghai, bringing the country’s total death toll to 5,092 since the virus appeared.

India, the only country with a population comparable to China’s 1.4 billion people, has officially recorded more than half a million deaths, although some health experts believe its number is still high.

Report by Brenda Coe, Sophie You and Tony Monroe; Written by Ann Marie Rondrie; Editing by Robert Brussel

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