Parts of Shanghai impose new Covid lockdown measures

On June 9, residents of Shanghai's sprawling Minhang area were forced to stay at home for two days in order to control COVID-19 transmission threats.

On June 11, the government of Minhang, which has a population of over 2 million people, will conduct nucleic acid tests for all citizens, and limitations will be eased once the testing is completed, according to the administration's WeChat account.

On Wednesday, Shanghai reported four new confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 cases, all in quarantined zones. There were no new cases in the Minhang district.

Last week, Shanghai was released from a two-month city-wide lockdown, but certain residential compounds have been re-locked as officials continue to pursue a "dynamic zero-COVID" policy aimed at shutting down transmission chains as quickly as possible.

Residents would be subjected to two days of imprisonment and another 12 days of severe testing beginning Thursday, according to several street-level government authorities.

Residents in at least three Shanghai neighbourhoods will be subjected to five rounds of mandatory tests, which will culminate on June 23, and will be kept indoors until Saturday, according to notices.

Watch |China: Parts of Shanghai impose new lockdown restrictions

Zhao Dandan, the vice-head of Shanghai`s health commission, told a briefing on Tuesday that the city would continue to implement restrictions even in areas that had not been identified as "high risk".

"Based on the assessment of the epidemic prevention and control trends, related measures will be adjusted dynamically," he said. "We hope the public will continue to understand and cooperate."

The restrictions have triggered protests among residents, and business groups have also said the ongoing preoccupation with "zero-COVID" could lead foreign companies to reconsider their presence in Shanghai.

"One of the major issues facing foreign business is the level of uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 restrictions," said Alexandra Hirst, senior policy analyst with the British Chamber of Commerce in China.

"This unpredictability, and increased risk, is resulting in many businesses delaying, reducing or withdrawing entirely from the Chinese market," she said.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

(With inputs from agencies)