Shanghai is preparing to ease lock-down restrictions as factories and manufacturers gear up to reopen on Monday. Workers will still largely live on the premises. China's most populous city had been shut down for three weeks due to COVID-19.
Supply lines, however, would be disrupted by closures in other cities and certain ports. The city's shutdown, as well as China's efforts to contain the outbreak abroad, have harmed the economy and thrown global supply lines into disarray. Shanghai's 25 million residents have faced job losses, erratic food shortages, family separation, and deplorable conditions in quarantine centres.
Shanghai in recent times faced the worst outbreak of the virus since Wuhan at the start of the pandemic. The city continues to report tens of thousands of cases a day, with the majority among people in quarantine or isolation, a Guardian report reads. Reuters reported officials had set a target of reaching “zero-Covid at the community level” by Wednesday. On Monday, the city reported 19,442 cases. All positive cases must isolate at dormitory-style warehouses or at hospitals.
