Shanghai Covid Cases Fall Slightly, Beijing Holds Steady
Shanghai Covid Cases Fall Slightly, Beijing Holds Steady
(Bloomberg) -- Shanghai’s Covid-19 cases fell slightly, while new infections in Beijing held steady, suggesting the capital’s extreme steps to contain an outbreak are working so far.
Shanghai reported 4,651 cases for Wednesday, down from 4,982 on Tuesday. Beijing reported 50 cases on Wednesday, compared with 51 on Tuesday, CCTV reported.
Shanghai authorities have indicated the lockdown will only be lifted once community transmission reaches zero -- the same path taken in Jilin province in the northeast, where a lockdown gradually started to ease once there was no more community transmission. But it’s uncertain when that may be, and comes as the persistent number of cases indicates omicron may be able to outmaneuver the harsh movement restrictions.
Around 2.54 million of Shanghai’s total population of about 25 million remained under the strictest form of lockdown by May 2, officials said at a briefing Tuesday. The city will continue to mass test, using both PCR and rapid antigen tests, through May 7.
While the lockdown is dragging on for some residents, many companies are already back up and running by using so-called closed-loop management where staff work and live on-site and undergo regular testing. Shanghai’s government released a list of 24 construction developments allowed to resume work, including projects from Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
In Beijing, more than 60 subway stations, over 10% of the network, were closed on Wednesday. Many of the affected stations are in the Chaoyang district in east Beijing, including an interchange that serves a central business area. Dozens of bus routes were also suspended.
Some restrictions put in place during the May Day holiday, including a ban on dining-in at restaurants, will be extended.
Officials on Wednesday said they’re still finding sporadic community infections and contact tracing and testing needs to be faster. The city will shorten quarantine requirements for close contacts to 10 days in a central facility plus 7 days home isolation. That’s down from a previous policy of 14 days of centralized quarantine, followed by 7 days of home quarantine and 7 days of health monitoring.
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With assistance from Bloomberg