As I see it | Shanghai is emerging from a tough Covid lockdown, but will there be more?
- As the city reopens, the government is pinning its hopes on frequent mass testing to keep the virus at bay
- Recent shutdowns have seen a shift in how middle-class and educated Chinese view Beijing’s strategy
That means shops and businesses will reopen, public transport will be up and running again, and most students will go back to school. Even international flights will gradually start to return.
It also means people will be able to leave their homes after being confined to them for more than two months. But the big question is, what’s next? Will there be more lockdowns if the Chinese government insists on sticking to its zero-Covid policy?
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Downtown Shanghai remains deserted despite ‘reopening’
In Shanghai, the government is pinning its hopes on frequent mass testing as restrictions ease. Residents are required to have nucleic acid tests every 72 hours, and if someone tests positive then the area where they live will be sealed off.
The authorities hope that this approach – targeted, smaller scale lockdowns instead of citywide restrictions – will reduce the impact of these measures.
The capital has not seen food shortages like those experienced by many in Shanghai. But people were still panic buying and anxious about being locked in their homes if the government’s omnipresent contact-tracing technology showed they had crossed paths with a Covid case.