After staying locked down for five weeks, Covid-19 cases in Shanghai have dropped. The city, on Wednesday, decided to lift the lockdown and ease restrictions in areas where no new cases have been detected. The situation, is, however, still severe.
Shanghai, on Tuesday, reported 1,606 confirmed locally transmitted Covid-19 cases and 48 deaths due to the virus. Mass testing is being conducted in 12 of the city's 16 districts. The Global Times reported that the number of patients in severe conditions is surging, but experts say that the pressure on the medical system to treat them would be short-lived.
In areas where Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted, residents will be allowed to move within certain areas. Zhao Dandan, a deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, told the Global Times that 51 million tests were conducted in the past five days, and the rate of positive cases has been gradually dropping.
In Beijing in the meantime, residents have been rushing to stock up on food and other essentials as a second round of Covid-19 testing in the city's largest district began on Wednesday.
Shanghai had been facing the worst Covid-19 outbreak, with authorities imposing draconian lockdown measures. China's zero-Covid policy is under the radar as the virus continues to spread in more cities. The zero-Covid policy is what the government credited for keeping the spread of the virus under control in 2020.
