Shanghai plans to reopen extensively and allow regular life to resume on June 1, according to a city official, after announcing that 15 of the city’s 16 districts had eradicated cases outside of quarantine zones.
At a daily online news conference, Deputy Mayor Zong Ming provided the clearest schedule yet for the city’s 25 million residents, who have been upset by more than six weeks of lockdowns and conflicting information about when they may resume their lives.
Officials in Shanghai proclaimed the outbreak to be under control, but they also stated that their goal until May 21 would be to avoid a resurgence of illnesses, implying that numerous restrictions will stay in place.
Under China’s strong zero-Covid policy, eliminating cases outside of quarantine regions is a prerequisite for returning to regular life.
The city aims to gradually restore domestic air and train services, and supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies will reopen on Monday.
The lockdown in Shanghai, as well as Covid restrictions in a number of other Chinese cities, has wreaked havoc on the world’s second-largest economy and disrupted global supply networks.
