Shanghai releases more virus sighting amid lockdown | Health, Medicine and Fitness
PA
BEIJING (AP) — Shanghai has released an additional 6,000 people from central facilities where they were under medical observation to guard against the coronavirus, the government said Wednesday, although the lockdown of most of China’s largest city is easing. continues into its third week.
About 6.6 million people in the city of 25 million were allowed to leave their homes on Tuesday, but some were restricted to their own neighborhoods. Some housing complexes also appeared to be keeping residents locked indoors, and no further lifting of restrictions was apparent on Wednesday.
Officials warn that Shanghai still does not have its latest surge of cases of the omicron variant under control, despite its “zero tolerance” approach which has seen some residents confined to their homes for three weeks or more.
China also requires anyone who tests positive or has close contact with such a person to spend at least a week in centralized observation centers in prefabricated buildings or gymnasiums and exhibition halls to limit the spread of the virus.
People also read…
The city’s health bureau said Wednesday that 6,044 people had been cleared the previous day to leave observation centers and return to their homes, although health surveillance continues.
The number of newly detected daily cases in the city rose slightly to 26,338, all but 1,189 in people with no symptoms. With more than 200,000 total cases, the ongoing outbreak is the largest of the pandemic in China. But mass testing detected many asymptomatic cases and no deaths were reported in Shanghai.
The lockdown has led to frustration among Shanghai residents over the lack of food and the inability to get it delivered. Censors diligently scrubbed this material from social media, while state-controlled media described a successful campaign to provide food and other supplies and advised residents that “persistence is victory”.
Shanghai is also home to China’s busiest port and main stock market, and concerns are growing over the economic impact of the lockdown.
Figures released on Wednesday showed Chinese exports rose 15.7% in March from a year earlier, while imports were flat due to disruption caused by coronavirus outbreaks.
Customs data shows exports hit $276.1 billion despite virus checks in Shanghai and other industrial hubs that prompted factories to cut production.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.