Beijing: After two months of strict covid restrictions and lockdown, Shanghai is all set to open up, allowing the vast majority of people in China’s largest city to leave their homes and drive their cars from Wednesday. The end of lockdown news brought an outpouring of relief, joy and some wariness from exhausted residents.
Most of the city’s 25 million residents have been confined to their homes for almost all of the lockdown which began on April 1, with curbs only slightly relaxing in recent weeks to allow some to go out for short periods of time. Local authorities had earlier this month said they planned to fully restore normal life by next month but it had not been clear how they would carry that out amid an insistence on sticking to China’s zero-COVID policy.
Some residents greeted the news with disbelief, reflecting on how what was originally supposed to be a lockdown lasting five days that became a much longer than anticipated ordeal.
“Please don’t be lying to me,” one person said on social media. “I’m numb,” said another.
The easing of curbs applies only to those in low-risk areas, which are home to about 22.3 million people, according to government data. People will still be required to wear masks and are discouraged from gathering and encouraged to get vaccinated.
Authorities did not say whether activities such as restaurant dining would be permitted. Following the announcement, Li Qiang, Shanghai’s Communist Party chief and an ally of President Xi Jinping, said city authorities and residents had “passed the test under extreme conditions and completed the arduous task”.
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