China reopens one city as Shanghai lock down enters 2nd phase

Shanghai prepared to reopen its eastern half while closing its western half on Thursday, while authorities in other cities announced the end of a citywide lockdown in the region hardest impacted by China’s ongoing omicron-driven coronavirus pandemic.

Residents of Jilin will be able to move about freely for the first time in more than three weeks. They will be required to wear masks and, when indoors, stay one meter (three feet) apart. Public gatherings in parks and squares are prohibited.

The spread of COVID-19 has been brought under control in Jilin city but not in the rest of Jilin province, officials said at a news conference, according to CCTV. Some progress has been made in Changchun, the provincial capital and an auto manufacturing hub that has been locked down since March 11.

China has been battling its largest COVID-19 outbreak since the initial one in early 2020. By far, most of the cases have been in Jilin province, which borders North Korea. Smaller outbreaks have popped up across the country, including Shanghai.

Pudong, the half of Shanghai on the east side of the Huangpu River, was to reopen at 5 a.m. Friday after a four-day lock down during which residents were tested for the coronavirus and isolated if the result was positive. A lock down of Puxi on the west side of the river was starting at 3 a.m.

About 16 million people will be tested in Puxi. Residents are not allowed to leave their neighborhoods or housing compounds during the four-day lockdown, with groceries or meals delivered to their complexes.

China recorded 8,559 new cases in the preceding 24 hours on Thursday, 6,720 of which showed no symptoms. A larger percentage of asymptomatic cases has been reported in this outbreak than in prior outbreaks, particularly in Shanghai. About a hundred of the new cases were brought in by persons who had recently arrived from other countries.

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