Shanghai lockdown: most shops and restaurants remain shut, as stringent Covid-19 rules make normal operations impractical and beyond reach
- As few as 5,900 businesses are on a ‘white list’ that’s been approved to resume operations under strict Covid-prevention conditions
- That’s a mere 0.2 per cent of the 2.67 million businesses registered in China’s commercial hub
Shanghai’s road towards business recovery remains long and windy, as the vast majority of small retailers, restaurants and service providers are still awaiting the government’s green light to reopen.
Municipal authorities are technically allowed to approve businesses to resume in low-risk areas that had been declared Covid-free in the past 14 days, as the prelude to a formal citywide reopening scheduled on June 1 before the city returns to full normality by the end of June.
In reality, few approvals have been issued. As few as 5,900 businesses are on a so-called “white list” that’s been approved to resume operations under strict Covid-prevention conditions, a mere 0.2 per cent of the 2.67 million businesses registered in China’s commercial hub, according to data provided by Shanghai’s government.
“We are desperate and hopeless, after shutting down for nearly seven weeks,” said Zhao Heng, who manages a mini supermarket called Master on Lancun Road in Pudong district. “Chances are slim that the store could make a single coin of profit this year.”