COVID-19: Shanghai sets target to ease lockdown

Shanghai has set a target to ease lockdown and stop the spread of COVID-19 outside of quarantined areas by Wednesday.

According to a speech by a local Communist Party official, “The target will require officials to accelerate COVID-19 testing and the transfer of positive cases to quarantine centres.”

Shanghai has become the epicentre of China’s largest outbreak since the virus was first identified in Wuhan in 2019 and has recorded more than 320,000 COVID-19 infections since early March when its surge began.

Shanghai has already taken steps to ease restrictions, some supermarkets had reopened their doors to shoppers.

Shanghai’s new target of zero COVID at the community level by April 20 was communicated recently to the city’s Communist Party cadres and organisations such as schools.

China’s definition of zero COVID status at the community level means that no new cases emerge outside quarantined areas.

Temitope/Reuters.