Sharjah24 – Reuters: Shanghai announced on Sunday further steps towards returning to more normal life and lifting a two-month COVID-19 lockdown this week, while Beijing reopened parts of its public transport, some malls, gyms and other venues as infections stabilised.
The Chinese commercial hub of 25 million aims to essentially end from Wednesday a lockdown that has severely damaged the economy and seen many Shanghai residents lose income, struggle to source food and to cope mentally with prolonged isolation.
The painful coronavirus curbs in major Chinese cities run counter to trends seen in the rest of the world, which has largely moved towards co-existing with the virus even as infections spread.
Shanghai, China's most populous city, will ease testing requirements from Wednesday for people who want to enter public areas, said city government spokeswoman Yin Xin, adding these tweaks should encourage work resumption.
"The current epidemic situation in the city continues to stabilise and improve," Yin said, adding Shanghai's strategy was now "pivoting towards normalised prevention and control."
People entering public venues or taking public transport will need to show a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours, versus 48 hours previously.
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