'Life on hold': Shanghai expands COVID-19 lockdown, testing lines grow

Residents of Shanghai’s eastern districts who were supposed to be released from four days of isolation have been told their lockdowns could be extended if COVID-19 cases are found in their residential compounds.

Fresh official guidance indicated that many in China's most populous city will now be required to stay home as long as it takes to control the outbreak - instructed not to cross their doorsteps even to dispose of rubbish or walk their dogs.

Public transport in most of the city has been suspended, while businesses considered non-essential, like restaurants and shopping malls, have also had to close.

China’s manufacturing activity fell to a five-month low in March, a monthly survey showed, as lockdowns and other restrictions forced factories to suspend production.
 

The lockdown, designed to stop an outbreak of the highly transmissible Omicron variant that started about a month ago, began on Monday and was originally due to last 10 days in total.

Government workers and volunteers wearing full protective equipment went door-to-door with megaphones in the city with 26 million people, calling on residents to report for testing at designated sites where they were met by long lines and waits of more than 90 minutes.

Shanghai has said that it will keep its airports open but many flights have been cancelled. On Friday, only one flight was available at the domestic-focused Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, which took off from Shanghai at around 11 a.m. to the capital city of Beijing, according to aviation data provider Variflight.