Majority of Shanghai residents will be subjected to a sudden round of Covid testing

Last updated on June 13th, 2022 at 02:27 pm

ASEAN – This weekend, most inhabitants in China’s economic capital of Shanghai will be subjected to an unexpected round of Covid-19 testing, only 10 days after a city-wide lockdown was lifted, disturbing citizens and raising fears about the effect on business.

Shanghai authorities said on Thursday that owing to the identification of a few cases in the neighborhood, seven of the city’s 16 districts will conduct PCR testing for all locals over the weekend in order to avoid a new wave.

Later in the day, six other districts announced similar initiatives. Some districts have said that people would not be able to leave their houses while the testing is conducted.

“During the testing, communities will practice ‘closed management,’ with only access and exit permitted, which will be removed after the testing is completed,” according to a Changning district announcement.

“We expect that residents will engage in the PCR testing in a timely and organized manner.”

The news was met with surprise and worry, with several users rushing to the Weibo-like site to inquire about how the testing might disrupt weekend plans, such as relocating or visiting a doctor. Many people voiced concern that they will be locked down again.

The initiative comes on top of the city’s already rigorous testing requirements for its 25 million people, which it imposed after lifting a city-wide lockdown on June 1.

To access facilities like as malls and offices, or even to utilize subways and buses, residents must provide confirmation that they have taken a Covid test within the past 72 hours. Many people have gotten upset about the fact that they must wait in hours-long queues at over 15,000 booths across the city to do so.

Due to positive cases and their close contacts, certain sections of the city remained under lockdown or returned to it soon after June 1. Three of the most recent cases, which have resulted in multiple closures, have been traced to a famous beauty salon in the city center, which reopened on June 1 with the rest of the city.

Despite the fact that China’s infection rate is low by global standards, President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed China’s zero-Covid policy, which officials claim is necessary to safeguard the elderly and the country’s medical system, even as other nations attempt to live with the coronavirus.

Shanghai’s two-month lockdown sparked widespread discontent, rage, and even unusual rallies among the city’s people, who were dealing with lost income, lost freedom, the deaths of friends and family, and even hunger.

The Chinese economy was also hit hard, supply networks were disrupted, and international commerce was halted.