According to its own statements, the Chinese economic metropolis of Shanghai reached “zero Covid” state for the first time in weeks on Tuesday. “All 16 districts of Shanghai have already reached zero Covid at the community level,” a health official said.
According to the administration, this means that none of the more than 1,000 new infections reported on Tuesday have occurred outside the quarantine areas. The strict lockdown will remain in effect. More than 3.8 million residents of the city were still under the strictest lockdown on Tuesday, authorities said.
Dissatisfaction in the social networks
The contradiction between the announced “zero Covid” status and the ongoing restrictions on freedom immediately caused a stir on social media. “If society has reached zero Covid, why are people in the Songjian district only allowed to go out every two days,” a user of the Weibo online service asked. “Is this a Shanghai in a parallel universe?” asked another sarcastically. The city council announced a gradual reopening of the stores over the weekend, but did not provide details.
Authorities have imposed hard lockdown
In early April, authorities in Shanghai imposed drastic restrictions due to an outbreak of the ommicron variant of the coronavirus, making it extremely difficult to provide fresh food to the roughly 25 million residents and impacting global supply chains. Due to the restrictions, there was great dissatisfaction among the population, which citizens expressed in online videos, among other things.
China has been experiencing the worst corona outbreak since the start of the pandemic for weeks. The country relied on rigorous restrictions from the start of the pandemic and has therefore been able to keep the number of infections at a relatively low level internationally for a long time. China continues to adhere to a strict zero-covid strategy, which sets it apart from many other countries.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
