China continues to battle one of its worst local Covid-19 outbreaks since the pandemic began as cases rise in its financial hub Shanghai. Shanghai reported 22,348 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases and 994 symptomatic cases for April 11, the local government said on Tuesday.
City residents are struggling to deal with the tight lockdown that was put in place on April 5. Earlier this week, several videos that surfaced on social media showed frustrated residents screaming in their apartments. Despite the situation, China has stuck to its "zero-Covid" strategy of handling outbreaks with strict isolation and mass testing. Many in the city of 26 million are in desperate situations, with families unable to leave their homes or obtain supplies of food and daily necessities, the AP reported.
Shanghai on Tuesday eased the harsh restrictions in neighbourhoods where no new infections have been reported over the past two weeks. Residents will be able to travel around their districts but not meet in groups. Others will be restricted to their immediate neighbourhoods. Residents in areas where no cases have been reported for 14 days will be allowed to leave their homes so long as they follow health protocols and remain in their sub-district. Those living in areas where no cases have been confirmed for seven days are allowed to collect food deliveries or take a walk at a designated time and location, according to reports.
On Monday, the US ordered all non-emergency consular staff to leave Shanghai. The State Department also issued a series of advisories for Americans in Shanghai, including that they ensure they have a "sufficient supply of money, medication, food, and other necessities for your family in the event of sudden restrictions or quarantine."
-with PTI inputs
