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Shanghai to lock down and test 2.7 million as COVID fears linger

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="People walk on river bank in Lujiazui, the largest financial zone in mainland China in Shanghai, China, June 8, 2022. Alex Plavevski, EPA-EFE" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/overseas/06/09/shanghai.jpg"/><figcaption>People walk on river bank in Lujiazui, the largest financial zone in mainland China in Shanghai, China, June 8, 2022. <em>Alex Plavevski, EPA-EFE</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>SHANGHAI - Shanghai will lock down a district of 2.7 million people on Saturday to conduct mass coronavirus testing, city authorities said, as the Chinese metropolis struggles to fully emerge from punishing curbs.</p><p>The city eased many restrictions last week, after confining most of its 25 million residents to their homes since March as China battled its worst COVID outbreak in 2 years.</p><p>But the lockdown was never fully lifted, with hundreds of thousands in China&#x27;s biggest city still restricted to their homes and multiple residential compounds put under fresh stay-home orders.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/02/22/shanghai-covid-curbs-drag-on">Shanghai COVID curbs drag on despite officials declaring victory</a></li></ul><p>The southwestern district of Minhang, home to 2.7 million people, will be placed under &quot;closed management&quot; on Saturday morning and all residents will be tested, district authorities said in a social media post on Thursday.</p><p>&quot;The closure will be lifted after samples have been collected,&quot; they added, without giving a specific time or date.</p><p>The statement also did not say what measures would be imposed if any district residents test positive.</p><p>Under China&#x27;s stringent zero-COVID approach, all positive cases are isolated and close contacts -- often including the entire building or community where they live -- are made to quarantine.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/05/11/22/who-says-chinas-zero-covid-strategy-unsustainable">WHO says China’s zero-COVID strategy unsustainable</a></li></ul><p>Shanghai reported 9 new local infections on Thursday -- none in Minhang.</p><p>The district&#x27;s announcement sparked fear among some social media users that the lockdown could be prolonged beyond Saturday if any cases are found.</p><p>&quot;You need to clarify if (the lockdown) will really be lifted after samples are collected,&quot; one user wrote on Weibo.</p><p>&quot;If there are abnormal results after the tests, what will you do? Continue the lockdown?&quot; asked another.</p><p>The lockdown in Shanghai -- a major global shipping hub -- had threatened to pile further pressure on already-strained international supply chains.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/04/08/22/shanghai-lockdown-snarls-worlds-busiest-port">Shanghai lockdown snarls world&#x27;s busiest port and China supply chains</a></li></ul><p>But the city has slowly come back to life in recent days.</p><p>Commuters are back on subways and buses as people return to working in their offices, while residents have gathered in parks and along the city&#x27;s historic waterfront.</p><p>But others are chafing under continued restrictions, with residents in one compound in the downtown Xuhui district protesting against the rules this week.</p><p>China&#x27;s capital Beijing, meanwhile, is transitioning more smoothly towards normality after shutting restaurants, gyms and subway stations last month to stamp out a smaller outbreak.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2016061" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Shanghai will lock down a district of 2.7 million people on Saturday to conduct mass coronavirus testing. 