Shanghai, Jun. 9, (dpa/GNA) - Shanghai authorities ordered mass testing for 2 million residents in part of the city, amid fears of a new outbreak of Covid-19 and just a week after a lockdown was lifted.
The measure, affecting approximately 2.65 million residents in the Minhang district, starts on Saturday. During the testing period, the district will be under strict restrictions that usually mean residents may not leave their homes or move around the neighbourhood.
The district will be reopened right after the testing, according to the authorities.
Shanghai only lifted a long and controversial lockdown last Wednesday, after two months of restrictions that disrupted supply chains affecting countries worldwide.
The curfews for Shanghai’s 26 million residents have largely been lifted, although some neighbourhoods have been closed down again after new cases emerged. Most businesses have reopened and public and private transport is now permitted.
While the rest of the world is largely trying to learn to live with coronavirus, China is continuing to pursue its rigorous zero-Covid strategy.
The Omicron variant’s arrival in China in March led to the country’s biggest outbreak since the pandemic began more than two years ago.
GNA