Shanghai’s Covid-19 model faces its sternest test yet
- The city’s approach has been lauded as one of China’s biggest successes but a wave of Omicron cases presents it with its greatest challenge yet
- Medical experts say they are confident that its dynamic zero-Covid policy can weather this latest storm
The city of 24 million residents has never imposed a lockdown or restricted transport to deal with outbreaks and has a more relaxed quarantine policy for incoming travellers compared with Beijing or Guangzhou, requiring seven days of home quarantine after two weeks in a central facility.
But the Shanghai model, the success of which was celebrated by the National Health Commission in September, is now facing its greatest challenge from the current outbreak with over 300 cases this month.
Last weekend the government announced that residents were banned from leaving the city unless “absolutely necessary”. Long distance bus services have been suspended and schools are introducing online lessons.
But experts believe the city’s approach will hold up well against the more transmissible and evasive Omicron variant.
“Prevention and control measures are dynamic. No matter how successful the measures have been, you adjust measures when you are facing a new variant,” said Zhu Huachen, associate professor with the school of public health at the University of Hong Kong.