Residents line up for nucleic acid testing at a residential area, during the second stage of a two-stage lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Shanghai, China April 4, 2022. REUTERS
SHANGHAI 鈥� China鈥檚 financial center of Shanghai reported more than 25,000 new coronavirus infections as authorities began on Monday to shape an exit plan from a lockdown of its 25 million residents, many of them chafing at the human cost of such quarantines.
Some areas are struggling to find food and medicine after spending more than three weeks locked down in China鈥檚 battle to contain its biggest COVID-19 outbreak since coronavirus was first discovered in central Wuhan in late 2019.
As it tries to get parts of the city moving again, the government has divided residential units into three categories.
These consist of 7,624 areas that are still sealed off, while a group of 2,460 is subject to 鈥渃ontrols鈥� after a week of no new infections, and 7,565 鈥減revention areas鈥� that will be opened up after two weeks of no positive cases.
City government official Gu Honghui said Shanghai would make 鈥渄ynamic鈥� adjustments to the residential classification system as he vowed greater efforts to minimise the impact of curbs on ordinary people living in China鈥檚 most populous city.
鈥淲e also hope all citizens and friends will continue to support and cooperate with the city鈥檚 epidemic prevention and control work,鈥� Gu told a news briefing.
Those living in 鈥減revention areas鈥� can now move around their neighbourhoods, but must observe social distancing and could be sealed off again if there are new infections, he added.
However, a 鈥渄ynamic clearance鈥� policy remains Shanghai鈥檚 鈥渂est option鈥�, said Liang Wannian, the head of the National Health Commission鈥檚 working group on COVID-19.
It was misleading to characterise Omicron as 鈥渂ig flu鈥� and lowering China鈥檚 guard would expose its huge elderly population to risk, especially as the virus mutates, Liang said on a visit to the eastern city.
鈥淚f we lie flat, the epidemic would just be a disaster for these kinds of vulnerable people,鈥� the People鈥檚 Daily newspaper of the ruling Communist Party quoted Liang as saying.
The city faces pressure not only to curb local transmissions but halt the spread to other regions, he added.
Shanghai added 25,173 new asymptomatic infections on Sunday, up from 23,937 the previous day, although symptomatic cases edged down to 914 from 1,006.
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