Coronavirus: strict Covid-19 regime to remain intact in Shanghai as new cases persist outside quarantine zones, delaying production restart
- The city recorded 34 new Covid-19 cases in non-quarantined areas, prompting a health official to reiterate the importance of fighting this ‘enemy within’
- The situation appears to have quashed hopes that a broader manufacturing restart was imminent
Shanghai will remain under strict antivirus measures after new data released on Thursday morning showed 34 new cases in non-quarantined areas in the past 24 hours.
Wang Hesheng, vice-minister of the National Health Commission, told a meeting of local officials on Wednesday evening that hidden transmission chains were still an “enemy within” as the mainland’s commercial and financial capital battled against the outbreak amid a citywide lockdown in place since April 1.
“The biggest consensus is that determined efforts must be made to avoid a rebound in new cases,” he said, according to Shanghai Television. “When a new case is detected in a precautionary zone, or in a hospital or among the certain high-risk people, tracking and tracing must be conducted swiftly.”
On Tuesday night, the municipal government issued revised guidelines asking companies – including restaurants and shops – that are ready to comply with virus-control rules to apply to resume business. This raised hopes that more manufacturers could restart production lines.
However, Wang’s statement “was a sign that the local government would let only a tiny number of small businesses reopen their businesses in the coming one or two weeks,” said Eric Han, senior manager at Shanghai-based business advisory firm Suolei.